20 Chemicals Found In Typical Glass Of Milk

A study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reveals that a single glass of milk can contain traces of 20 painkillers, antibiotics and growth hormones. Although the doses of the drugs were too small to have any affects on milk drinkers, the mere existence of so many different types offers a window into milk production across the food chain. The researchers analyzed 20 types of cow's, goat's and sheep's milk purchased in Spain and Morocco; the highest quantity of medicine was found in cow's milk.

Their breakdown, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, revealed that cow’s milk contained traces of anti-inflammatory drugs niflumic acid, mefenamic acid and ketoprofen – commonly used as painkillers in animals and people.

It also contained the hormone 17-beta-estradiol, a form of the sex hormone oestrogen. The hormone was detected at three millionths of a gram in every kilogram of milk, while the highest dose of niflumic acid was less than one millionth of a gram per kilogram of milk.

The tests also found niflumic acid in goat’s milk, while breast milk contained traces of painkillers ibuprofen and naproxen, along with the antibiotic triclosan and some hormones.