Glyphosate in breast milk - But not dangerous?

The National Breastfeeding Commission and the BfR responded to the publications of Alliance 90 / The Greens, which had warned against high levels of glyphosate in breast milk. The institutions recommend that mothers continue to breastfeed, as published levels of glyphosate in breast milk would be well below the health-derived benchmark.

Toxins in breast milk? (Image: cicisbeo - fotolia)

The parliamentary group Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen reported on 25 June 2015 that a laboratory had measured the pesticide active substance glyphosate in 16 breast milk samples and called these measurements "very worrying". The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the National Breastfeeding Commission estimate the measured levels of up to 0.43 nanograms (ng) per milliliter (ml) as safe for health.

The published values ​​would lead to a glyphosate uptake in newborns that is lower by a factor of more than 4000 than the EU derived guideline, which is not expected to pose a health risk. In addition, there are significant doubts about the methodology of the test. The National Breastfeeding Commission and the BfR point out that breast milk is still the natural and therefore best food for infants. Mothers should breastfeed as before. (Pm)