§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research has been conducted by his Department into the incidence of levels of organo-chlorine residues in breast milk from mothers which would, if fed to babies, exceed international safety levels for the daily intake of such chemicals in adults.
§ Mr. WhitneySurveys were conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1963–64, 1979–80 569W and 1983–84. A further more comprehensive survey is planned for 1987. Though results from the last two surveys showed a general decline in organo-chlorine residues in human milk, the levels of some of the compounds in the majority of the samples were such that breast-fed infants would exceed the acceptable daily intake recommended by the World Health Organisation.
The acceptable daily intake is the quantity which may be safely taken every day for a person's lifetime, and the figure includes a substantial safety margin. Furthermore, the intake of organo-chlorine residues can be expected to fall considerably after weaning; the levels in the United Kingdom diet have shown a decline over the last two decades.
The Department's committee on the toxicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment has considered the results of the latest survey. It has advised that there is insufficient information about the possible health effects, if any, to infants of organo-chlorine residues in breast milk, and has recommended further studies and continued monitoring. The committee emphasised that the known advantages of breast feeding are major ones and these have to be borne in mind when evaluating possible harmful effects of residues in milk.
The results of the surveys and the advice of the Committee on Toxicity have been published, the latest being the report of the working party on pesticide residues (1982–85), food surveillance paper No. 6 (HMSO 1986). A copy is in the Library.