Chemistry People Come in here....

redneckmomma25

So my brother who is anti vacc and formula is the devil (ironically his wife is not able to produce bm and they have to use more formula) posted a picture on FB about Copper Sulfate being a pesticide and causing intestinal damage.  So I don't trust anything he posts and I look.  Gerber has copper sulfate in it.  I google copper sulfate and it can be combined with other things to be used as a pesticide but it also says it is toxic if ingested.  Obviously, the amount in formula is much smaller than what the toxic level is, but why would it be in formula if it causes intestinal damage? There has to be something more to this.  Combined with something else does it have a benefit or something?  I need to prove him wrong and justify I didn't cause intestinal damage to my child for 10 months or so....

I found this link https://blogs.mcgill.ca/osscontributors/2013/07/29/unfounded-alarm-over-copper-in-baby-formula/

redneckmomma25

@tinyhumantoe I am calling you!

I also looked, it is in similac and enfamil.  It has to be in there for a reason.  

hmp1

Perhaps it is to kill off smaller organisms but it is such a small dose that it cannot do any harm to humans. I have not read anything so just a guess.

hmp1

First thing I read:

Copper sulfate is a mineral salt that is used to fortify foods as well as uses as an antimicrobial agent and anti-caking agent. It is added as a mineral supplement for infant formula and is used as an anti-caking agent for powders. Solutions of copper sulfate can be sprayed on fruits to prevent mold growth. Chemically, it is a component used in the manufacture of a class of colors, called azo dyes.

melody921

Not a chemistry person, so not sure what it's for. But I can assure you DS was on Gerber for 8 months and does not have 2 heads.

redneckmomma25

That blog did a good job in giving a reason.  It is the easiest form of copper to absorb.  Infants need copper.  And everything can become a toxin it is all about the dosage.  

hmp1

redneckmomma25 said:

That blog did a good job in giving a reason.  It is the easiest form of copper to absorb.  Infants need copper.  And everything can become a toxin it is all about the dosage.  

That is what I am finding too.

I did like this response to one of the scare tactic blogs.

Dose is the difference between a remedy and a poison. The role of the copper compound in the formula is providing an essential trace element for nutrition. (Yes, copper *IS* an essential nutrient, in doses of couple hundreds micrograms per day - it is in higher doses when it becomes toxic. Both too much and too little of it is problematic.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_in_health

So, please, tune down the hysteria a little. There's enough trouble in the world without having to invent nonexistent ones.

tinyhumantoe

Hahaha that is ridiculous. I wish I had a good response for you. Ask him: Why are you washing your baby's body in a pesticide? (Soap)

If we avoid ingredients based on what toxic products they are also part of, we're fucked. :-p

Vinegar is an acid. Soap is an insecticide. Some words are scary, but they are NBD in reality. I love the ones about how there is "arsenic in this or that".... Uh, there is arsenic in the soil. It's in the plants, it's in animals, it's in your red lobster seafood platter. There is arsenic in shit, yo...it's an element found in nature. Everything in moderation, even arsenic!

Anyway, I agree completely with the comment about it all being about concentration: dilution is the solution!
Fertilizer is a complement of beneficial nutrients, except in amounts that are too strong for the environment to handle...then they are pollutants. Fish food is great for your fish tank, but when your brother dumps the whole container in....all of your fish die. Oral vitamin supplements are beneficial to living beings, except in amounts that are too strong for the body... then they are toxic.

I could babble on forever

tinyhumantoe

Babies get copper from the tit, too.