Soy product robbed me of joys of motherhood: lawsuit figure

Daniella Miletic

October 1, 2010 - 3:00AM

ERIN Downie drank Bonsoy when she became pregnant because she was told it was the best soy milk on the market. When she had trouble breastfeeding, she drank more. She put it in her porridge, in her smoothies, in her cups of tea.

She never imagined the soy milk would allegedly lead her to be admitted to hospital twice, and leave her so weak that she couldn't shower herself or pick up her baby, Mirakye, after she was born.

Crying, Ms Downie yesterday spoke of how her dream of being an active, engaged mother was taken away after her daughter, now two, was born. Ms Downie became sick from toxic levels of iodine - levels she alleges were the result of the copious amounts of Bonsoy she consumed.

''I couldn't walk for a metre without falling down,'' the 29-year-old says. ''My legs didn't work, my arms didn't work and I couldn't carry or pick my daughter up, even though she was a newborn baby.''

Doctors were baffled, telling her she must have come in contact with huge amounts of iodine. Her thyroid hormone levels were more than five times higher than normal.

Ms Downie believed she had cancer. It was only when 10 people, including an infant, became sick with thyroid problems, and Bonsoy, made by Spiral Foods, was withdrawn from sale last December that she came to believe the product was connected to her condition.

Bonsoy tested positive for elevated iodine levels, thought to result from a seaweed-derived ingredient called kombu, believed to have been added to Bonsoy by makers in Japan since 2003.

Yesterday, Ms Downie became the lead applicant in a class-action lawsuit that involves 24 other plaintiffs against Bonsoy's Australian distributor, Spiral Foods. By yesterday afternoon, several more people had contacted lawyers Maurice Blackburn alleging sickness as a result of the soy milk product.

As the suit was filed in the Victorian Supreme Court, Ms Downie said she had been robbed of enjoying her daughter's early life.

''They've taken away something that I can't get back. I don't know if I can have kids. My body is still very sick … it's been difficult.''

Maurice Blackburn chairman Bernard Murphy alleged the product was sold with a dangerous concentration of iodine when iodine was known to cause serious health problems.

The law firm will allege that Spiral Foods breached the Trade Practices Act and will seek compensation for negligence, medical expenses, loss of income and pain and suffering.

Spiral Foods director James Wilson said it was too early to comment because staff and company lawyers were yet to see the court documents.

He said the company voluntarily recalled the product last December and that the soy milk was reformulated early this year. It has been back on shelves and in cafes since May after being approved by Australian food regulators.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/soy-product-robbed-me-of-joys-of-motherhood-lawsuit-figure-20100930-15zc2.html