Congress And Independent Health Watchdog Agencies Have Found Baby Food To Contain Heavy Metals

Some manufacturers have issued voluntary recalls of their baby food products out of an abundance of cautions and Congress promises reforms

Thursday, December 9, 2021 - In 2018, leading health watchdog organization Consumer Reports tested fifty brands of baby food for the presence of heavy metals out of concern that the baby food industry may not be up to the task of self-regulation and that cadmium, lead, mercury, and inorganic arsenic may be present in higher than acceptable quantities. The highlights of their study found that around two-thirds of the baby foods tested contained "worrisome levels of at least one heavy metal." The study also uncovered that eating just one serving per day of these products would expose children to potential health risks. Very little has been done since then to address the public health problem that toxic heavy metals in baby food present to children. If a bill that is before Congress becomes law, parents will worry less that they are feeding their children toxic heavy metals. "The Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, which was introduced in Congress in March, would require stricter testing and would limit the levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury in baby food." According to USPIRG. In April 2021, the FDA tested lots of its 8-ounce Parent's Choice rice baby cereal manufactured by Maple Island and found levels of inorganic arsenic above the FDA's guidance. Baby food heavy mental lawsuits by the parents of children that suffer from childhood neurological disorders like autism claim that certain baby foods contain toxic heavy metals and arsenic.

Heavy metals were first a concern decades ago when pictures made their way to television of peeling led paint chips affecting children living in low-income housing. Heavy metals leach from factories worldwide into the air, soil, and drinking water of millions of people. Most of us have seen the movie where Erin Brockovich uncovers that the local electrical utility has been dumping their heavy metal waste into an area that was the source of the local community drinking water and the cancer cluster that resulted. Some heavy metals are desirable in the drinking water, like copper and manganese, but some are harmful if consumed regularly for many years. Moreover, drinking water can be easily tested for arsenic, led, cadmium, and other heavy metals. Healthy adults can handle low, infrequent absorption of heavy metals. What is concerning is that even the smallest doses of toxic heavy metals in baby food can accumulate if consumed every day, or several times every day as is the way baby food is fed to children. Also, studies have proven that a baby's brain is underdeveloped for the first several years of life and that toxic heavy metals in baby foods can damage neurological development. James E. Rogers, Ph.D., director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports recently wrote that babies and toddlers are more at risk of suffering the ill effects of toxic heavy metals. "Babies and toddlers are particularly vulnerable due to their smaller size and developing brains and organ systems. They also absorb more of the heavy metals that get into their bodies than adults do."

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Lawyers for Baby Food Heavy Metals Lawsuits

We will represent all persons involved in a toxic baby food lawsuit on a contingency basis, meaning there are never any legal fees unless we win compensation in your case. Anyone whose child was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or another neurological disorder after eating contaminated baby food is eligible to receive a free, no-obligation case review from our attorneys. Simply contact our firm through the online contact form or the chat feature and one of our baby food lawyers will contact you promptly to discuss your case.