Medical research shows that exposure to heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, plays a role in causing autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to a government report issued in February of 2021, baby foods, including snack puffs, purees, rice cereal, and others contain dangerously high levels of such toxic metals.
The impact of heavy metals in baby food poses serious health risks for infants and young children. Even in small amounts, heavy metals can harm neurological development. As baby food attorneys investigating this very serious issue, we have seen that continued exposure to heavy metals can affect behavior, brain development, and IQ.
The law firm of Wisner Baum represents parents in their pursuit of justice against baby food companies that manufacture products tainted with dangerous levels of heavy metals. Our baby food lawsuits allege exposure to the toxic metals in baby foods caused children to develop autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Emerging research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other environmental health organizations continues to deepen our understanding of how toxic metals affect early brain development and contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Scientific evidence confirms that even low-level exposure to heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury during pregnancy and infancy can negatively impact infant cognition, behavior, and neurodevelopment, highlighting the urgent need for stronger regulatory protections in baby food.
Key recent findings include:
These studies contribute to a growing scientific consensus that toxicity from heavy metals in early life is a significant, preventable risk factor for autism and other developmental disabilities. They underscore the importance of ongoing research, heightened awareness, stricter regulatory oversight, and informed legal action to protect infants and support affected families.
Many studies, reviews, and meta-analyses conducted over the last decade have consistently observed a positive association between exposure to heavy metals and autism in children.
Children and, even more so, babies have higher exposure to metals compared to adults because they consume more food in relation to their body weight, absorb metals more readily than adults by 40 to 90%, and have not yet developed the mechanisms needed to metabolize and eliminate heavy metals.
The research below strongly supports a causal relationship between exposure to heavy metals and ASD in children.
A 2019 University at Buffalo meta-analysis of 14 studies measuring arsenic in hair, blood, and other biological samples found statistically higher inorganic arsenic levels in children with ASD, particularly in hair and blood. The authors urged policymakers to reduce arsenic exposure in pregnant women and children.
A 2023 Frontiers in Pediatrics meta-analysis involving more than 5,000 children confirmed elevated arsenic levels in ASD patients versus controls.
By 2025, mechanistic and animal studies had linked arsenic exposure to oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, DNA injury, and autistic-like behaviors when exposure occurred in critical developmental stages.
A 2023 Frontiers in Pediatrics review of 53 studies found significantly higher cadmium concentrations in hair, blood, and urine samples from children with ASD, showing geographic variation but consistent overall elevation.
A 2025 trace element cohort study found cadmium levels were especially high in boys under 7 with severe autism. Linked effects included abnormal gene methylation, increased cell death, DNA damage, and impaired cognitive/motor development.
A 2024 Environmental Research study further identified concurrent cadmium and mercury elevations in ASD children, highlighting co-exposure risks.
A 2024 Environmental Research meta-analysis confirmed that even low-level lead exposure during pregnancy and early childhood increased both the risk and severity of ASD.
A 2023–2024 UK cross-sectional study found 13% of autistic children had blood lead levels above the UK threshold for medical concern; classic risk markers such as pica were poor predictors.
The influential 2017 Nature Communications study demonstrated the role of early-life elemental dysregulation, including lead, in autism risk.
A 2025 NIH-supported multicenter cohort spanning U.S. and Southeast Asian populations reaffirmed that prenatal and low-level postnatal lead exposure was associated with increased autistic behaviors and social communication deficits.
A 2023 Frontiers in Pediatrics meta-analysis found consistently higher mercury levels in blood, hair, and urine from ASD children worldwide.
A 2023 animal model study showed that juvenile methylmercury exposure in BTBR mice worsened autism-like behaviors through antioxidant pathway disruption and brain inflammation.
A 2024 Science of the Total Environment study linked low-level mercury exposure to greater autism severity, with mechanisms including oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and epigenetic changes.
Earlier work—including a 2017 meta-analysis showing impaired mercury detoxification and a 2010 threshold study establishing >15 µg/L as a risk level—remains relevant.
A 2016 study found that lead, mercury, and arsenic exposures may have synergistic effects, heightening ASD risk more than any one exposure alone.
A 2023 Frontiers in Pediatrics review documented multi-metal elevations in ASD children, suggesting interacting biological pathways.
A 2024 BMC Medicine study showed that combined heavy metals and persistent pollutants can disrupt hormones and immune function during brain development.
A 2025 Indonesian case-control study found that multiple heavy metals, in combination with maternal health factors, significantly increased autism risk.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant behavioral, communication, and social challenges. ASD is not limited to autism alone; it includes conditions previously considered separate:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as of 2016, one in 54 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with autism (ASD). The same research identified boys as four times more likely to have an ASD than girls. Per the CDC, one in 34 boys has autism compared to one in 144 girls.
When children are diagnosed with autism, parents often want to know what caused the autism diagnosis. Research shows that autism does not develop from a single cause, though there are several risk factors, including:
Children with autism rarely look much different from their peers. However, those with ASD may behave, communicate, interact, and learn in ways that are different. A child with ASD may have problems with social interaction and communication skills. Below are some common signs of autism in children:
Wisner Baum is outraged by the recklessness of baby food companies that manufacture products with dangerous levels of heavy metals linked to autism. We represent parents of children with autism spectrum disorders who regularly consumed products from the following companies:
We were among the first law firms in America to file a lawsuit against the baby food companies listed above, accusing them of knowingly selling products that contain dangerous amounts of heavy metals that can cause brain damage. Specifically, brain damage that manifests as diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. Our baby food lawsuit alleges the manufacturers acted with “malicious recklessness” and “callous disregard” for human life.
If your child has been diagnosed with autism or related developmental disorders after consuming baby food from implicated brands, you may qualify to join ongoing mass tort lawsuits. Even if your child was diagnosed years ago, eligibility might still apply depending on timing and documentation.
To support a baby food lawsuit related to autism and heavy metal exposure, parents should gather comprehensive medical and expert documentation that helps establish a clear link between the child’s diagnosis and exposure. If you do not have the information below, it does not disqualify you. We can work with you and obtain the necessary evidence to establish your family’s claims for damages.
Important documents include:
These evaluations typically use standardized diagnostic tools endorsed by the medical community to diagnose autism. Common tests include the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2). These assessments provide structured observations and scoring that support a clinical diagnosis following criteria in the DSM-5 or ICD-11.
We believe that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been noticeably absent on this important issue. The agency has allowed baby food manufacturers to effectively regulate themselves and set their own standards for heavy metals in foods. Left to their own devices, these companies have ignored their own standards and sold tainted foods, causing incalculable damage to American families.
“The FDA’s lackluster response to this critical issue demonstrates the agency’s prioritization of industry over people,” says baby food attorney Pedram Esfandiary. “It seems that, once again, litigation must be the driving force behind meaningful change.” Reach out to Wisner Baum today to discuss your options.
While autism results from multiple risk factors, research shows significant links between heavy metal exposure—especially during infancy—and increased autism risk.
Brands including Beech-Nut, Gerber, Happy Family Organics, Plum Organics, Sprout Foods, Earth’s Best Organic, and Walmart’s Parent’s Choice have been implicated in lawsuits alleging toxic metal contamination.
Numerous peer-reviewed studies, including meta-analyses from 2019-2025, consistently find elevated heavy metal levels in children with ASD and link toxic metal exposure to neurodevelopmental harm.
The most direct way to determine if your baby was exposed to dangerous levels of heavy metals is to review whether your child regularly consumed baby food products from the companies specifically identified in the February 2021 U.S. House Oversight Committee report that found "dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury" in baby foods. Medical tests like blood or urine analyses can also detect exposure.
At this time, we can only take cases in which there is an autism diagnosis. Consult a lawyer for case-specific advice.
"Wisner Baum gave exceptional attention to all aspects of the case, detailed inquiry, and tenacious overview of all the information submitted. The paralegals are efficient and diligent. I was completely surprised to find an empathic personal message to take care of my own health during the challenging time of being a full-time caretaker.*"
In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial attorney for the Pilliods, delivering the opening and closing statements and cross-examining several of Monsanto’s experts. Wisner Baum managing shareholder, Michael Baum and attorney Pedram Esfandiary also served on the trial team in the Pilliod case.
The judge later reduced their award to $87M. Monsanto appealed the Pilliod’s verdict which the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District denied on August 9, 2021. Monsanto then requested the California Supreme Court review the appeal’s court decision, which the court denied on Nov. 17, 2021. Monsanto (Bayer) then submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court which SCOTUS denied on June 27, 2022, allowing the final judgment of $87M to remain intact.
$289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial
Wisner Baum co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Months after the jury verdict, the judge overseeing the trial reduced the punitive damages to $39.25 million. Mr. Johnson decided to accept the remittitur, bringing the adjusted amount awarded to Mr. Johnson $78.5 million.
Monsanto (Bayer) appealed the verdict and Johnson cross appealed. On July 20, 2020, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Monsanto but reduced Mr. Johnson’s award to $20.5 million. The company chose not to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ending the litigation.
In 2016, Wisner Baum attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of the largest in the U.S. for 2016.
