When parents first heard the news that many major baby food brands contain dangerous amounts of toxic heavy metals, most believed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would step in to better protect children from arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Studies show that exposure to these toxic heavy metals during early childhood can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The FDA reacted to the 2021 baby food report on heavy metals by creating the Closer to Zero campaign, which aims to limit the amounts of toxic metals in baby foods over time. The problem? The plan gradually phases out heavy metals from baby food by 2024. Some experts have predicted it may take even longer than the proposed 2024 date to make significant changes to industry practices. How are parents supposed to protect their children from heavy metals in baby foods in the meantime?
“The unfortunate reality is that the FDA has left parents with the burden of researching every product they buy to ensure they are not inadvertently feeding their child arsenic, lead, and other dangerous toxic metals,” says baby food lawyer Pedram Esfandiary. “To date, the FDA has only enacted limits for heavy metals in infant rice cereal and juice, so parents are essentially on their own to figure out for themselves the risks associated with all other foods they give their children.”
Esfandiary and his colleagues are preparing to take the first toxic baby food lawsuit to trial next year. Wisner Baum currently represents thousands of parents throughout the nation who allege their children developed autism and/or ADHD after consuming baby foods from the following companies:
To better assist parents looking for brands and products to avoid, we have created an updated 2022 baby foods toxic heavy metals list (click here for our list of baby foods to avoid from March of 2022). Below you will find baby foods that tested at high levels for arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead. The list is based on the recently released report from Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), a non-profit consumer advocacy organization that has been following the heavy metals issue for years.
In its August 2022 report, HBBF tested 288 foods and analyzed more than 7,000 additional baby food testing data from published studies. The report found that:
Baby foods most contaminated with toxic metals (in order of most contaminated):
The FDA has a maximum allowable limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic in bottled water, yet the parts per billion of arsenic in a large portion baby food far exceeds this limit, putting babies at a severely higher risk of absorbing this toxic heavy metal. It is important to remember that infants and babies consume more food in relation to their body weight and absorb arsenic more readily than adults.
Below are some of the baby foods that the HBBF report indicated for high levels of arsenic:
The FDA has a maximum allowable limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb) lead in bottled water, yet the amount of lead in some popular baby foods surpasses this limit by at least four times in some cases. It is important to remember that infants and babies consume more food in relation to their body weight and absorb lead more readily than adults.
Below are some of the baby foods that the HBBF report indicated for high levels of lead:
The FDA has a maximum allowable limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb) cadmium in bottled water, however, the quantity of cadmium in an assortment of baby foods contains much higher (dangerous) levels of cadmium. It is important to remember that infants and babies consume more food in relation to their body weight and absorb cadmium more readily than adults.
Below are some of the baby foods that the HBBF report indicated for high levels of cadmium:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a maximum allowable limit of 2 parts per billion (ppb) mercury in drinking water, yet the levels of mercury in some common baby food is twice that in some cases. It is important to remember that infants and babies consume more food in relation to their body weight and absorb mercury more readily than adults.
Below are some of the baby foods that the HBBF report indicated for high levels of mercury:
Baby foods least contaminated with toxic metals (in order of least contaminated):
The HBBF report recommends parents limit or rotate the following food products to avoid heavy metals:
The FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that babies and young children exposed to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and/or mercury may suffer from permanent decreases in IQ, increased risk of future criminal and antisocial behavior, and untreatable, potentially permanent brain damage. Yet, the FDA is acting too slow and not doing enough to protect children and get baby food manufacturers to eliminate toxic heavy metals from its foods.
Linda McCauley, the Dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, says, “[n]o level of exposure to these metals has been shown to be safe in vulnerable infants.” She adds that exposure to several sources of heavy metals can cause cumulative effects that are particularly dangerous for young children.
For more information on the dangers of toxic metals, you can read expert reports from the toxic baby food litigation our firm is conducting:
Baby food lawyers from the law firm of Wisner Baum represent thousands of parents against several baby food manufacturers, alleging they knowingly sell products with dangerous levels of toxic metals. If your child was diagnosed with autism and/or ADHD and you believe the heavy metals in baby food are the cause, you may be able to pursue justice and compensation in a baby food autism lawsuit. Please fill out our case evaluation contact form or call our lawyers today at (310) 207-3233.
