Think twice before buying breast milk online: study

Most of the breast milk sold over the Internet is contaminated with bacteria, a new study suggests. Researchers tested 101 milk samples they bought on milk sharing websites. They found that almost three quarters probably weren't safe for babies, especially preemies.

Those sites have thousands of ads from people selling breast milk, often new mothers who make more than their baby needs. The milk typically sells for $1 or $2 per ounce.

For the new study, they responded to 495 ads placed on two of those sites and ended up purchasing and analyzing 101 batches of milk.

Seventy-four percent of the samples either had disease-causing bacteria like E. coli or harmful levels of bacteria such as Streptococci.

By Genevra Pittman, Reuters

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