Scientists have discovered the mechanism by which a chemical known as perchlorate can collect in breast milk and cause cognitive and motor deficits in newborns. Used since the 1940s to manufacture explosives and rocket fuel, the contaminant is still widely present in the water and food supply, experts say.
High concentrations of perchlorate in breast milk can be passed on to a foetus during pregnancy and affect an infant's ability to manufacture thyroid hormone, the new study suggests.
Perchlorate can lessen the amount of iodide available to a mother to pass on to her infant, and a baby needs iodide to produce thyroid hormones which are "critical" for development and maturation of the central nervous system, skeletal muscles and lungs. The debate continues on how much perchlorate is high and harmful concentration. But scientists have long enough that iodide deficiency contribute to low IQ.
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