Table 7.

Food and Environmental Agents: Effects on Breastfeeding

Agent	Reported Sign or Symptom in Infant or Effect on Lactation	Reference No.
Aflatoxin	None	354–356
Aspartame	Caution if mother or infant has phenylketonuria	357
Bromide (photographic laboratory)	Potential absorption and bromide transfer into milk; see Table 6	358
Cadmium	None reported	359
Chlordane	None reported	360
Chocolate (theobromine)	Irritability or increased bowel activity if excess amounts (≥16 oz/d) consumed by mother	169, 361
DDT, benzene hexachlorides, dieldrin, aldrin, hepatachlorepoxide	None	362–370
Fava beans	Hemolysis in patient with G-6-PD deficiency	371
Fluorides	None	372, 373
Hexachlorobenzene	Skin rash, diarrhea, vomiting, dark urine, neurotoxicity, death	374, 375
Hexachlorophene	None; possible contamination of milk from nipple washing	376
Lead	Possible neurotoxicity	377–380
Mercury, methylmercury	May affect neurodevelopment	381–383
Methylmethacrylate	None	384
Monosodium glutamate	None	385
Polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyls	Lack of endurance, hypotonia, sullen, expressionless facies	386–390
Silicone	Esophageal dysmotility	17–22
Tetrachloroethylene cleaning fluid (perchloroethylene)	Obstructive jaundice, dark urine	391
Vegetarian diet	Signs of B₁₂deficiency	392