When a mother goes to the store to choose a formula for her baby, she has a lot of concerns, from whether or not particular one will make her infant’s stomach upset, is the right one to best aid her baby’s rapidly growing brain, or even is the one covered by WIC. What she doesn’t expect to have to worry about is whether or not her infant’s formula contained arsenic, especially when she’s chosen to spend money on organic formula.

However, a study published only a couple days ago in Environmental Health Perspectives found that of the 17 different types of infant formulas they tested, two, one dairy-based and one soy-based, came back with a frightening result: arsenic levels six times higher than what the EPA allows in drinking water was in the formulas -- and those levels are set with consideration to the bodies of adults, not tiny babies.

What did these two formulas have in common? They were both organic formulas that used brown rice syrup instead of the typical corn syrup solids. ABC confirms the two formulas are Nature's One baby's only organic dairy toddler formula and baby's only organic soy toddler formula.

Dartmouth researchers, who did the study last year that found arsenic in apple juice, pointed out that while there is a limit on water, there has also been no research done into arsenic in food. Arsenic was also found in frighteningly high levels in the cereal bars and energy drinks they tested that also contained brown rice syrup.

The risk of arsenic in formula, as well as in other products, is that it can build up in the body can cause cancer, as well as other serious chronic diseases.

How does arsenic end up in the formula? The rice itself is to blame. It absorbs silica from the ground, to help it stand up in water-logged soil. However, when present, arsenic in soil looks just like silica to the rice, so it sucks it up within itself as well, so obviously, different types of rice grown in different locations would contain varying amounts of arsenic. While there are two types of arsenic -- organic and inorganic -- and one is generally considered safe, it looks like the steps the EPA took in 2006 took steps to stop the use of herbicides containing organic arsenic (considered safe) were well founded, as research shows it has the potential to turn into inorganic arsenic in the soil and contaminate drinking water -- and obviously, then, leeches into the plants grown there and is present in the end product.

The FDA is being pushed to create standards for arsenic in foods. They say they are currently testing rice products and will have results available sometime in the spring of 2012.

While I would love to point fingers at formula itself, and of course tote the benefits of breastfeeding and the obvious safety superiority, we also are aware that without much needed support, many moms find themselves unable to breastfeed successfully, and human donor milk, if not acquired through a free milk share between friends or via an organization such as Human Milk 4 Human Babies can be incredibly cost prohibitive, at an average of $13.59 per 100 milliliters, while formula comes in around $2.97 per 100 milliliters. Organic formulas are more expensive, of course, but still come short of the cost of purchasing donor milk.