Mary Brune is a wonderful example of how fear and frustration can be a catalyst for action. Mary was breastfeeding her newborn daughter and watching the news when she heard a story about breastmilk being contaminated by a chemical found in rocket fuel. “I didn’t have any idea what perchlorate was but I was really scared. Then I was outraged.”

So Mary and three friends (all breastfeeding mothers) founded Making Our Milk Safe or MOMS. MOMS currently has 300 members in 28 states. “There is nothing more basic than a mother’s right to provide clean and healthy breastmilk for her child,” says Mary. “No matter what we know about toxic chemicals ending up in breastmilk, it’s still best to breastfeed.”

In reality everyone should be outraged because the level of contaminants in human milk is simply a reflection of the level of contaminants in the environment.