While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not encourage anyone to purchase breast milk online because it may contain contaminants or pose other health risks, there are at least 55,000 women participating in the online sale of human breast milk in the U.S.
On many websites, breast milk is known as “liquid gold,” and sells for $1 to $2 an ounce. The obvious popularity of the growing trend of buying breast milk online led to a study on the safety of the milk. What scientists found may change many women’s minds.
Dr. Sarah A. Keim, a principal investigator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and her team examined 102 breast milk samples purchased online. They found that more than 10 percent of the samples contained cow’s milk in significant quantities.
Even more frightening was the finding of bacterial and viral contamination in 75 percent of the samples, showing there was poor collection, storage and shipping practices. Four of the samples also contained cotinine, a chemical compound found in the breast milk of active smokers. This was particularly bad because two of the four sellers of the samples said online they were non-smokers.
The finding of bovine DNA in 11 of the 102 samples tested led Dr. Keim to suggest that the profitability of selling breast milk is leading some women to purposely adulterate the product with cow’s milk or infant formula just for the money. With most of the samples having more than 10 percent cow’s milk added, Dr. Keim said, “This was high enough to rule out minor or accidental contamination.”
“Cow’s milk can present health problems,” Dr. Keim said. “In a previous study, we found that a fifth of these people were online because their infants were having trouble tolerating cow’s milk. Additionally, it is clearly not recommended for infants under 12 months to be on cow’s milk.”
For a parent that doesn’t know what to do, the answer was simple. Dr. Keim said, “Don’t buy milk on the Internet. It’s impossible to know that it’s safe.” The best thing for a mother to do is to check with the local health department where she lives. Many states have non-profit milk banks set up where a woman with extra milk can help out babies in need.
This study was published in the journal Pediatrics April 6, 2015 under the title: “Cow’s Milk Contamination of Human Milk Purchased via the Internet.”
