In 2010, the Ministry of Health released a study examining the breast milk of 39 New Zealand women.
The study title, Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Milk of New Zealand Women, tested the breast milk of 39 first-time mothers aged 20–30, looking for industrial chemicals that don’t just fade away.
Persistent organic pollutants — or POPs — include substances like dioxins, PCBs, flame retardants, and organochlorine pesticides. Many of these compounds were banned decades ago, yet they’re still turning up in human tissue. Once inside the body, they linger — and breast milk, rich in fat, becomes a natural carrier.
Breast milk remains the best food for infants — but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask what else is in it.
The report acknowledged that breast milk remains the best food for infants. And of course, it is. But here’s the thing: it’s also one of the clearest mirrors of what a mother has been exposed to. Which means it’s a window into what our babies are starting life with — before they even take their first bite of food or step outside.
A National Monitoring Effort — Then Silence
Although published in 2010, this report reflects findings from the 2008 national breast milk survey, the third of its kind. Earlier surveys were conducted in 1988 and 1998.
Each was designed to track time trends for dioxins/furans, PCBs, and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and to provide baseline data on emerging contaminants like brominated flame retardants (BFRs). The research followed guidelines set by the World Health Organization’s Fourth Coordinated Survey of human milk for POPs — ensuring compatibility with global biomonitoring efforts.
And then… nothing. No follow-up. No 2018 report. No indication that another round is coming.
We stopped looking.
What Did the Study Find?
Researchers tested for over 100 different chemical compounds and grouped them into several categories, including:
- Organochlorine pesticides (like DDT and its breakdown products)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Dioxins and furans
- Brominated flame retardants
- Perfluorinated compounds (PFAS)
Most were detected at measurable levels in nearly all participants. Some chemicals, such as DDE (a breakdown product of DDT), were found in 100% of samples. Others, including newer flame retardants, showed up inconsistently — suggesting emerging or background exposure.
The full report warned that “some levels exceeded international breast milk guideline values,” although it was careful to downplay any immediate risk. The real concern, though, lies in cumulative exposure.
Researchers concluded that while breast milk remains the best source of nutrition for infants, its chemical content reflects a legacy of environmental contamination and ongoing exposures — exposures that may carry epigenetic consequences for fertility and future generations, as we explored here.
Why Hasn’t There Been a Follow-Up?
It’s been 15 years since that report. Since then, we’ve learned far more about chemical synergy, endocrine disruption, and the potential long-term effects of even low-level exposures — especially during critical developmental windows.
And yet… no updated study.
Have the levels increased or decreased? Are new contaminants — like glyphosate, paraquat, or PFAS — showing up in today’s mothers? Is the chemical load higher for Māori and Pasifika women, or those in rural areas? We don’t know.
And that’s the problem.
A Mirror We’re Afraid to Look Into?
It’s easier not to ask.
Because if we did — and found high levels of toxins in modern breast milk — what then? It raises uncomfortable questions about food production, agricultural spraying, environmental policy, and regulatory oversight. It challenges the assumption that what we’re doing is “safe enough.”
And perhaps worst of all, it risks placing blame or guilt where it doesn’t belong — on mothers simply trying to nourish their babies in a polluted world.
But staying silent doesn’t make the chemicals disappear. It just lets the system carry on unchecked.
Final Thought
This 2010 study offered a rare glimpse into the toxic legacy of our industrial age — and the bodies of New Zealand’s next generation. We owe it to them to look again. And this time, not look away.
Resources & References
Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Milk of New Zealand Women (2010) [PDF]
This Ministry of Health report documents chemical residues found in breast milk samples from 39 NZ mothers. A rare national study into everyday toxic exposure.
WHO–UNEP Coordinated Survey of Human Milk for POPs
A global monitoring programme conducted in multiple rounds (starting in the late‑1980s through to 2019), designed to measure concentrations of a range of persistent organic pollutants in breast milk. This initiative supports international tracking of contaminants under the Stockholm Convention. Latest full results from the 2016–2019 survey are published by UNEP in February 2024.
EWG – Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns
A 2005 U.S. study that detected over 200 industrial chemicals in the cord blood of American babies — revealing just how early exposure begins.
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Glyphosate and Hormone Disruption: What We Know So Far
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Glyphosate Residues in Breastmilk: Should We Be Worried?
An analysis of recent findings and concerns surrounding glyphosate residues in breast milk and implications for infant health.
Missing Microbes: Infant Gut Health & Glyphosate
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