Less VOCs in Breast Milk Than Homes

In a small U.S. study researchers found the levels of volatile organic compounds in human breast milk were lower than the VOCs found in homes.

A nursing infant’s exposure to VOCs from indoor air was 25- to 135-fold higher than what that infant ingested through breast milk, according to senior author Timothy Buckley of Ohio State University.

The levels found in milk were far below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant levels for drinking water, says Buckley.

I was worried that we were going to see a much larger contribution from milk, so I am tremendously relieved by these findings, says Buckley.

Although the study is small and provides just a preliminary assessment of VOC levels in human milk, it is one of the first studies of its kind in the United States in which researchers are able to quantify levels of these compounds in human milk.

Buckley stresses that health benefits of nursing far outweigh the risks, and breast milk is the best source of nutrition for a growing infant.

The findings currently appear online at the Web site for the journal Environmental Science & Technology.