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Home>Get Involved>Action Alert>23 NOV

Your Comments Needed on Genistein and Soy Infant Formula

The NIEHS's (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) has invited
the submission of public comments on the draft National Toxicology
Program (NTP) Briefs on Genistein and Soy Formula.

Mary G. Enig, PhD, and Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD represented the
Foundation's concerns at CERHR hearings early last year. However, on March 17,
the panel announced its decision, namely that soy infant formula should
be considered "safe" until proven otherwise and that there is
"negligible concern" for reproductive and developmental effects. The panel most
likely ruled in the industry's favor because they felt overwhelmed by
the sheer mass of studies and/or by industry pressure. Only one member
disagreed. Dr. Ruth Etzel of the Alaska Native Medical Center in
Anchorage said there should be a higher level of concern for infant exposure
to genistein as it could adversely affect brain and reproductive system
development.

Your comments may cause the panelists to reconsider their conclusions
and, at the very least, will become part of the public record on these
hearings.

If you can report on a case of early or delayed development, learning
disorders, reproductive and/or thyroid problems, please write to CERHR
Director Dr. Michael D. Shelby. Your letter should include your name
and contact information. A sample letter is provided below-feel free to
alter it so that it expresses your thoughts in your own words. Please
state that you are writing as a concerned private citizen. The deadline
for submissions is DECEMBER 8, 2006.

Submissions may be sent to by email, fax or mail to

Dr. Michael D. Shelby, CERHE Director
NIEHS
PO Box 12233
MD EC-32
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

(919) 316-4511 Fax
Shelby@niehs.nih.gov

Please feel free to broadcast this important Action Alert to other
individuals and organizations. Thank you!

Sally Fallon, President

SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Dr. Shelby:

I am writing to comment on the National Toxicology Program's draft
reports on Genistein and Soy Formula.

I am deeply concerned about the expert panel's conclusion that soy
infant formula should be considered "safe until proven otherwise." Although
the panel raises valid questions about the quality of many of the
studies they examined, the failure of researchers to prove absolute danger
does not prove safety, and many studies indicate that safety must not be
assumed. Over the years, expert independent scientists -- including
leading toxicologists from the FDA's and NIEHS's own laboratories -- have
expressed serious concerns about the effect of soy phytoestrogens on
brain, thyroid and reproductive development. We need to take their
conclusions seriously.

I believe the United States should follow the examples of the Israeli
Health Ministry and British Dietetic Association to warn parents and
pediatricians about the potential dangers of soy infant formula. NIEHS
should recommend that babies not receive soy infant formula except as a
last resort. Better yet, we should also follow the example of the
French Food Agency, which will soon require manufacturers to remove almost
all the isoflavones from soy infant formula. These actions would help
protect our babies.

I personally know of the dangers of soy infant formula because
______________(please briefly state what happened to you, your children or
friends' children etc. i.e. allergies, learning disabilities, digestive
distress, premature puberty, infertility, menstrual disorders, etc). I
am making this a part of the public record in the hope of saving other
babies from this fate.

I hope this letter will encourage the panel to reconsider its
conclusions and to commit to the precautionary principle of "better safe than
sorry."
Thank you,

(Your Name and Address)

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