Microplastics found in breast milk

Microplastics are present in breast milk.

Here is the finding of Italian researchers during a study published on July 14, 2022 in the scientific journal

, and relayed by the site of the British newspaper

.

Although the link between the presence of this chemical particle in the mother's milk and the impact on the infant has not yet been established, scientists are concerned about it.

Unavoidable exposure to microplastics

“The potential health impairment caused by the absorption and accumulation of microplastics is a major concern, the researchers warn at the start of their report.

Especially for the vulnerable population of infants.”

To find out more, the researchers observed the milk of 34 healthy mothers one week after giving birth in Rome.

“Microplastics were detected in 75% of the samples,” they claim.

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Several risk factors were also analyzed.

The Italian researchers compared milk samples from mothers who had consumed fish or shellfish in the seven days preceding the study, with those of mothers who had eaten or drunk ingredients wrapped in plastic, or who had used dairy products. body hygiene contained in plastic.

No difference in the amount of microplastics was found between these categories, "suggesting that the ubiquity of microplastics in the environment makes human exposure inevitable, through ingestion, inhalation or skin contact", regret the researchers.

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The impact of these particles on breastfed infants was not demonstrated in the study, but the authors insist all the same: “products consumed by nursing mothers can be transferred to offspring, potentially exerting a toxic effect” .

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This is the first time that microplastics have been found in breast milk.

But the same team of researchers had already noted their presence in the placenta, in 2020;

and an Irish analysis, published in the journal

in October 2020, warned of the millions of plastic microparticles spilled into milk by certain baby bottles.

Despite the findings of this recent Italian study, researchers argue that breastfeeding remains the best way to feed a baby.

“The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the disadvantages caused by the presence of polluting cells,” they point out.

They conclude on the importance of intensifying scientific research efforts to “find innovative ways to reduce exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy and lactation”.