Submitted by Webworker (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 10:30.
Breastfeeding Women: Women who are breastfeeding should take only one dose of KI if they have been internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine. Because radioactive iodine quickly gets into breast milk, CDC recommends that women internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine stop breastfeeding and feed their child baby formula or other food if it is available. If breast milk is the only food available for an infant, nursing should continue.
Submitted by salome (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 21:43.
Thank you Joseph...I am a mother of a beautiful 8 month old little girl which my husband and I have been wanting for over ten years. This disaster has disrupted what we thought was finally a dream come true. I cry every time I look at her and ask myself, "what have I done bringing this innocent being into such a mess?" Can you please tell me how vulnerable are infants here in Los Angeles to the radiation? I was pretty sure the amounts were too slight to affect my baby but as a parent you can not be cavalier about anything that might endanger your child. I can't help but read other posts or blogs that tell me that my child's life is in danger....it sends me into such a panic that I can not sleep at night. I can not fathom my life without my baby or watching her suffer. Thank you for all your efforts and information.
Submitted by T.O. Mom (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 02:03.
Hello,
I just wanted to reply to Salome. I am a mom of two children who are now nine and six years of age. I breast fed my children until they were three and five years old, respectively. I am not a doctor, but I think the best think you can do for your child right now is to breastfeed her. You can limit your exposure to the radioactive isotopes by buying milk in asceptic packages. These milks have usually been bottled between 6 to 12 months before the best buy date. Also, look for frozen vegetables. I have found some companies that have packaged their foods two years before the best buy date. Call up companies and get information on packaging and bottling dates. You may need to alter your diet for now, but it might be worth the hassle if it reduces your anxiety level. Also, try to drink filtered, reverse osmosis water. My motto for now is to limit my children's exposure as much as I can. We also have been staying indoors and have just started spending more time outside. Hope this helps.
Submitted by JMS (not verified) on Wed, 2011-04-13 01:10.
You are not alone. There are a lot of us moms who have been coming to the site off and on. Right after the "incident" there were quite a few of us, in fact, having these kinds of conversations practically every day. That kind of talk seems to have died down a bit because we all seemed to agree on similar courses of actions regarding safeguarding our children and from this point, it seems like a lot of us (speaking for myself personally) have had to take a "wait and see" approach. At this point, all we can do is do what we feel is right in limiting the amount of exposure our children get and wait and pray that the situation in Japan does not get worse. There is still a lot of unknown and months, if not years, of clean up to get this mess straightened out. In the meantime, the one thing I can say from comments seen here and at other sites, is that our main concern, again, is limiting exposure. I am also breastfeeding a 5 month old and have a 3 year old, so believe me when I say I know exactly how you feel.
Thanks again, everyone at BRAWN for everything you guys are doing. :o)
Submitted by Webworker (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 10:59.
how can you say that "I have not found any research to suggest the levels of iodine you're exposed to in the US is sufficient to recommend that you should stop breast feeding."
JMiller are you a physician.
JMiller do you hold the "belief" that radiation doses are safe up to a government prescribed limit and then become dangerous
JMiller you seem to have strayed from the scientific method
JMiller you have not read any of the Chernobyl studies have you
JMiller do you know where the creator of this post live
JMiller don't you realize the testing yoyu are doing only reflects conditions local to you
read the articles at concerned physicians site above...read the WHO reports, do some homework or do not make a statement definitively saying that levels are so low that they don't effect breast milk and the infants that feed on it....
Submitted by Garry (not verified) on Thu, 2011-04-14 20:12.
Air monitors in the US have not show anything more than background levels. So unless a breast feeding mother was drinking unfiltered rain water, and grazing, how would she receive a dosage of iodine or cesium to pass on to the child?
"I have not found any research to suggest the levels of iodine you're exposed to in the US is sufficient to recommend that you should stop breast feeding." Miller is not making any statement that is inconsistent with his observations, He has not seen it, and he says just that
"JMiller you seem to have strayed from the scientific method" were?
"JMiller are you a physician." If he was, how would it change the validity of his statement?
"do some homework or do not make a statement definitively saying that levels are so low that they don't effect breast milk and the infants that feed on it...." read Millers statement , get a dictionary, and look up the word "definitively"
"External radiation sources, such as X-rays, cannot contaminate your body. You only need to consider doing anything if radioactive materials could be taken into your body, for example by swallowing them or breathing them in. Some radioactive materials, if swallowed, get into breast milk and would contribute to your baby’s radiation dose. If you work with these materials, your employer must take the necessary steps to prevent this happening."
Submitted by Danny (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:26.
Thank you for the links. It is easy to forget this is not the place to seek medical advice, and hysteria can be very contagious. Your patience is very much appreciated.
Submitted by Webworker (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 11:17.
JMiller,
The post above was not by me. While I might agree with some of the points I would never and have never used that tone in my responses. I guess that happens in un-moderated forums.
Submitted by Danny (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:22.
Joseph makes a great point that there are alot of great resources and sites popping up concerning the situation were in. This is absolutely not a good place to seek medical advice...the posts are unverified and it's impossible to know whether your speaking with a qualified medical professional.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:34.
it seems silly and unscientific because that's precisely what it is. there is no way to compare the nuclear reactor disaster at fukushima dai-ichi to a pile of microwave ovens or a mountain of bananas.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2011-04-10 02:02.
Someone posted a great research report here couple of days ago (can't find it) about radionuclide transfer through the breastfeeding, basically it says that only 5-10% of mother's radiation intake gets transferred to the breast milk, the rest absorbed by mother's body (my undestanding). I'm not a doctor, but it looks that breastfeeding still better than other options, it also supports your baby's immune system.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2011-04-10 01:34.
Probably still safer than cow milk or tap water for formula. I can't believe they are not warning at least pregnant women. When my wife was pregnant they didn't even want to xray her hurt back because of fears that the radiation would hurt the baby.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 23:12.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Iodine 131 production stops with the end of the fission, so when they took the reactors off line (pulled the rods apart) that should be the end of the iodine production. Most of it was released long ago with the initial blasts and now it is decaying...however with the coverup of the meltdowns, who knows.
breastfeeding information
This is a good article by an Md. which specifically addresses the Japan releases for breastfeeding mothers. Much more detailed than CDC.
:http:///bfmed.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/breastfeeding-in-the-face-of-natural-disaster-and-nuclear-meltdown/
Breastfeeding Women: Women
Breastfeeding Women: Women who are breastfeeding should take only one dose of KI if they have been internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine. Because radioactive iodine quickly gets into breast milk, CDC recommends that women internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine stop breastfeeding and feed their child baby formula or other food if it is available. If breast milk is the only food available for an infant, nursing should continue.
http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp
Also the glands in the breast area concentrate iodine.
Can you give me an opinion
Can you give me an opinion on this site?
http://enenews.com/cesium-137-forecast-shows-high-altitude-radiation-clo...
What about the milk in Hawaii?
Thank you Joseph...I am a
Thank you Joseph...I am a mother of a beautiful 8 month old little girl which my husband and I have been wanting for over ten years. This disaster has disrupted what we thought was finally a dream come true. I cry every time I look at her and ask myself, "what have I done bringing this innocent being into such a mess?" Can you please tell me how vulnerable are infants here in Los Angeles to the radiation? I was pretty sure the amounts were too slight to affect my baby but as a parent you can not be cavalier about anything that might endanger your child. I can't help but read other posts or blogs that tell me that my child's life is in danger....it sends me into such a panic that I can not sleep at night. I can not fathom my life without my baby or watching her suffer. Thank you for all your efforts and information.
Thank you for putting my
Thank you for putting my mind at ease... giving a personal aspect to it made a whole lot of difference. )
I am also a mom
Hello,
I just wanted to reply to Salome. I am a mom of two children who are now nine and six years of age. I breast fed my children until they were three and five years old, respectively. I am not a doctor, but I think the best think you can do for your child right now is to breastfeed her. You can limit your exposure to the radioactive isotopes by buying milk in asceptic packages. These milks have usually been bottled between 6 to 12 months before the best buy date. Also, look for frozen vegetables. I have found some companies that have packaged their foods two years before the best buy date. Call up companies and get information on packaging and bottling dates. You may need to alter your diet for now, but it might be worth the hassle if it reduces your anxiety level. Also, try to drink filtered, reverse osmosis water. My motto for now is to limit my children's exposure as much as I can. We also have been staying indoors and have just started spending more time outside. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the valuable
Thank you for the valuable information....it helps to know that there are other mothers out there that are as concerned as I am.
Salome:
You are not alone. There are a lot of us moms who have been coming to the site off and on. Right after the "incident" there were quite a few of us, in fact, having these kinds of conversations practically every day. That kind of talk seems to have died down a bit because we all seemed to agree on similar courses of actions regarding safeguarding our children and from this point, it seems like a lot of us (speaking for myself personally) have had to take a "wait and see" approach. At this point, all we can do is do what we feel is right in limiting the amount of exposure our children get and wait and pray that the situation in Japan does not get worse. There is still a lot of unknown and months, if not years, of clean up to get this mess straightened out. In the meantime, the one thing I can say from comments seen here and at other sites, is that our main concern, again, is limiting exposure. I am also breastfeeding a 5 month old and have a 3 year old, so believe me when I say I know exactly how you feel.
Thanks again, everyone at BRAWN for everything you guys are doing. :o)
how can you say that "I have
how can you say that "I have not found any research to suggest the levels of iodine you're exposed to in the US is sufficient to recommend that you should stop breast feeding."
JMiller are you a physician.
JMiller do you hold the "belief" that radiation doses are safe up to a government prescribed limit and then become dangerous
JMiller you seem to have strayed from the scientific method
JMiller you have not read any of the Chernobyl studies have you
JMiller do you know where the creator of this post live
JMiller don't you realize the testing yoyu are doing only reflects conditions local to you
read the articles at concerned physicians site above...read the WHO reports, do some homework or do not make a statement definitively saying that levels are so low that they don't effect breast milk and the infants that feed on it....
C'mon get real!
Air monitors in the US have
Air monitors in the US have not show anything more than background levels. So unless a breast feeding mother was drinking unfiltered rain water, and grazing, how would she receive a dosage of iodine or cesium to pass on to the child?
"I have not found any research to suggest the levels of iodine you're exposed to in the US is sufficient to recommend that you should stop breast feeding." Miller is not making any statement that is inconsistent with his observations, He has not seen it, and he says just that
"JMiller you seem to have strayed from the scientific method" were?
"JMiller are you a physician." If he was, how would it change the validity of his statement?
"do some homework or do not make a statement definitively saying that levels are so low that they don't effect breast milk and the infants that feed on it...." read Millers statement , get a dictionary, and look up the word "definitively"
With all due respect, get a grip!
According to one of those links...
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg334.pdf
"External radiation sources, such as X-rays, cannot contaminate your body. You only need to consider doing anything if radioactive materials could be taken into your body, for example by swallowing them or breathing them in. Some radioactive materials, if swallowed, get into breast milk and would contribute to your baby’s radiation dose. If you work with these materials, your employer must take the necessary steps to prevent this happening."
Not particularly reassuring...
Thank you for the links. It
Thank you for the links. It is easy to forget this is not the place to seek medical advice, and hysteria can be very contagious. Your patience is very much appreciated.
Impersonated my post
JMiller,
The post above was not by me. While I might agree with some of the points I would never and have never used that tone in my responses. I guess that happens in un-moderated forums.
Joseph makes a great point
Joseph makes a great point that there are alot of great resources and sites popping up concerning the situation were in. This is absolutely not a good place to seek medical advice...the posts are unverified and it's impossible to know whether your speaking with a qualified medical professional.
So pregnant and breast
So pregnant and breast feeding mothers are ok to take X-rays without any fears?
OK. I didn't realize we were
OK. I didn't realize we were done with the xray, CT scan, cross country flight,banana stuff.
Just because the analogy
Just because the analogy isn't satisfying for some does not mean it isn't useful.
I'm sure some people would be up for criticizing the Sun for rising in the East, but it won't change the Earth's rotation.
X-rays are emitted by
X-rays are emitted by electrons outside the nucleus, while gamma rays are emitted by the nucleus.
Thank you for enlightening
Thank you for enlightening me, and would you be so kind to now also acquiesce to enlighten us what a death ray is? Thank you!
I am glad we are, it seemed
I am glad we are, it seemed really silly and unscientific.
eat a banana, go to jail...
it seems silly and unscientific because that's precisely what it is. there is no way to compare the nuclear reactor disaster at fukushima dai-ichi to a pile of microwave ovens or a mountain of bananas.
who let the dog out, who who
Thank you for the
Thank you for the information and reassurance!
yes
yes you should
Someone posted a great
Someone posted a great research report here couple of days ago (can't find it) about radionuclide transfer through the breastfeeding, basically it says that only 5-10% of mother's radiation intake gets transferred to the breast milk, the rest absorbed by mother's body (my undestanding). I'm not a doctor, but it looks that breastfeeding still better than other options, it also supports your baby's immune system.
Probably still safer than
Probably still safer than cow milk or tap water for formula. I can't believe they are not warning at least pregnant women. When my wife was pregnant they didn't even want to xray her hurt back because of fears that the radiation would hurt the baby.
I would think that with an 8
I would think that with an 8 day half life, this late in the game (30+ days = approx .0625), that the radioactive iodine is a moot point...
But half life doesn't really
But half life doesn't really come into play until the release is stopped right?
Correct me if I'm wrong but
Correct me if I'm wrong but Iodine 131 production stops with the end of the fission, so when they took the reactors off line (pulled the rods apart) that should be the end of the iodine production. Most of it was released long ago with the initial blasts and now it is decaying...however with the coverup of the meltdowns, who knows.