Explosives chemical found in US baby formula (perchlorate, used in fireworks,roc

[shan]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A chemical used in explosives, fireworks and rocket fuel has been found in powdered baby formula in the United States, the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) said.

In "little-noticed findings," researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 15 brands of baby formula contained perchlorate, an oxidizer in solid fuels used in explosives, fireworks, road flares and rocket motors, the EWG said.

"Studies have established that the chemical is a potent thyroid toxin that may interfere with fetal and infant brain development," it said.

The EWG said the CDC study's findings raised "new concerns about perchlorate pollution, a legacy of Cold War rocket and missile tests."

The CDC study, which was conducted in 2006 and published last month in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, said perchlorate could inhibit the absorption of iodine by the thyroid and lead to growth and developmental problems in infants.

For the study, researchers tested samples of baby formula which they had picked up in a local shop.

The two most tainted brands, both cow's milk-based formulas with lactose, had a nearly 90-percent share of the US powdered baby milk market in 2000, the report found.

[The Smoking Man]

Yeah ... In the USA they seem to find it before people die and 300,000 end up in Hospital.

Funny that.

[shan]

SHANGHAI (AFP) - China's state quality watchdog said baby skin powder manufactured by German housekeeping and healthcare products maker MAPA has been removed from shelves in China for allegedly containing asbestos.


Authorities sealed up 48 cans of the baby powder in Suzhou Debao Baby Supplies Co Ltd, the brand's general agent in China, in an inspection Saturday, the General Administration of Inspection and Quarantine said.

MAPA, part of French rubber and plastics conglomerate Hutchinson Worldwide, markets its baby care products under the NUK brand.

A spokesman of Hutchinson's China subsidiary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed sales of NUK baby powder had been suspended but refused to comment on whether it contained the forbidden chemical.

South Korean authorities reportedly tested 30 brands of baby powder and found 12 contained the carcinogen asbestos, including the NUK baby powder, the quarantine agency said in a statement on its website late Sunday.

The agency said it would continue to "closely watch the matter and take effective measures proactively to safeguard the health and safety of infants."

China was last year rocked by a scandal over milk contaminated by the industrial chemical melamine that killed at least six babies and left almost 300,000 others ill.

The scandal came to light in September, causing deep international concern and leading to recalls and bans around the world of products made in China.

[The Smoking Man]

Yeah ... not the first time a Chinese subsidiary has been found guilty of contaminated products.

I think Yuli was owned by a New Zealand company who had to force the information through to Beijing.

Apparently this one is as a result of the Koreans doing an investigation of the product of a Chinese manufactured product under license from Germany.