Breaking Down the Numbers
Here are the results of a few of the 15 baby formulas tested.
Cow & Gate Nutriprem: 700 mcg/L
Aptamil Follow-On Milk Ready-Made: 296.1 mcg/L
Aptamil Follow-On Milk Powdered: 592.4 mcg/L
Hipp Organic Growing-Up Milk: 176 mcg/L
*Breast milk: 15 – 39 mcg/L
What You Can Do
Even if you’re lucky enough to breastfeed exclusively, it’s always troubling to hear about tainted formula. And for those that fall into the majority — according to the Centers for Disease Control most babies in the US drink some formula in the first year — it lends the question, “how do I find a safe formula?” The Environmental Working Group suggests starting by choosing a powdered formula, which typically includes less BPA due to the container it comes in. Read our guide to choosing a safe infant formula for more tips.
Image: Alessandro Perilli
Pages: 1 2
I’m confused, the 1st page says that liquid formal contains less aluminum and then page 2 says the experts say to buy powdered formula.
Isn’t “safe formula” an oxymoron? There are so many risks associated with breastmilk substitutes, formula should ALWAYS be a last resort.
In some areas of central America breast milk is viewed as dirty or tainted, perhaps due to the conditions (poverty, illness and pollution) that nursing mothers live in…men give gifts of formula to the new mother are viewed as a claim of paternity…check out “Death Without Weeping” by Nancy Scheper-Hughes for a more complete picture…
This article is a sneaky way of lying through numbers. While the formula may contain more than breast milk, the real issue is the amount that is actually absorbed into the body. A 1996 review of aluminum in infants (http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;97/3/413.pdf) found that even giving children formula that contained the highest levels of aluminum (generally ones for premature babies), they only absorbed small amounts and that these amounts where completely safe with the exception of infants that had other issues (namely renal failure). The rest is passed straight through.