Breast milk sourced online may be health risk
10 December 2010
The growing use of the Internet to arrange human breast milk donations is worrying experts, who say the practice could expose babies to diseases and contaminants.
Facebook groups such as Eats on Feets have networks across Australia, connecting needy breastfeeding mothers with suppliers who may airfreight the milk across the country.
While concerned about women sourcing breast milk from strangers, Dr Jennifer James (PhD), director of the Lactation Consultants of Australia and New Zealand, said the situation was an indictment on a society that failed to provide adequate human milk banks. Only 2 banks currently operate in Australia, she said.
The US Food and Drug Administration recently (30 Nov 2010) issued new advice to parents to consider the safety risks of feeding a baby with human milk from a source other than the baby’s mother, citing potential exposure to infectious diseases or chemical contaminants, including prescription and illicit drugs.
Dr James, also senior lecturer in midwifery at RMIT University in Melbourne, said most women who sought breast milk donations tended to do so from people they knew, such as family or close friends, which was a "centuries-old practice". "Sourcing (human milk) from the Internet is a concern because you don’t know who you’re buying it from or under what conditions it is being stored and sent", she said.
Last Reviewed: 10 December 2010
- 1. US Food and Drug Administration. Use of donor human milk (last updated 30 Nov 2010). http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/SpecialTopics/PediatricTherapeuticsResearch/ucm235203.htm (accessed Dec 2010).
