Children are particularly vulnerable to the negative health effects of exposure to heavy metals
Heavy metals occur naturally in the environment, more specifically in the earth, and they cannot degrade. While some heavy metals are essential for the proper functioning of our bodies as trace elements such as selenium, copper, and zinc, when they exist in great amounts, they put our health at high risk. The following are the most common, as well as the most concerning, heavy metals that are present in certain brands of baby food:
- arsenic
- lead
- mercury
- cadmium
In children, exposure to high concentrations of heavy metals can be fatal. Nevertheless, exposure to lower concentrations over the course of several years, which is how it occurs in the case of being fed baby food, can lead to the development of autism spectrum disorders. This is because heavy metals are neurotoxins that affect the normal development of the brain and cause deficits in cognitive function and behavioral performance.
If you wonder how heavy metals end up in baby food, the answer is simple - they exist in the soil and water that help rice and other ingredients in baby food grow. Because heavy metals cannot be eliminated from cereals, fruits, and vegetables, a certain amount will remain in these foods. Oftentimes, this amount exceeds the safe limit.
The eligibility criteria for filing a toxic baby food claim
To become eligible to file a toxic baby food claim, parents must have fed their baby one or multiple food products on this page, and their child must have been diagnosed with one of these autism spectrum disorders before the age of 15:
Naturally, when mothers finish breastfeeding their babies, roughly 95% of them will buy formula and baby food from the store as a new form of nourishment for their child. However, for several decades, heavy metals have been lurking in baby food and when parents become aware of this alarming issue, safe, non-toxic sources of sustenance must be found for the child. Many parents had not been aware of the presence of neurotoxins in baby food until recently. For this reason, if a parent fed their baby some of these products and the child later developed a disorder on the autism spectrum, they have the right to file a claim for compensation.
Interestingly, 1 out of 54 children born in and after 2008 has autism (source: Autism Speaks). This means that nearly 2% of the children in the country struggle with autism, or 596,852 young individuals. Since 2008, there have been 54,730,000 births in the U.S. The average age of diagnosis for disorders on the autism spectrum is 5. The prevalence of autism may have a link to the presence of neurotoxins in baby food, as these hazardous substances take a heavy toll on the development and cognitive function of a child. If a parent is in the situation above, they should reach out to our legal team, as we have been pursuing cases like yours for over 25 years, by virtue of which we have the necessary experience, knowledge, and resources to obtain the most favorable outcome for the child.
Baby foods with dangerous levels of neurotoxins that are currently on the market
A recent investigation led by Healthy Baby's Futures, a consumer advocacy group, selected 168 individual containers of 13 different food types under 61 baby food brand names. The researchers tested for the four heavy metals and also for perchlorate, and the results were shocking and appalling - only 9 out of the 168 containers had no neurotoxin. These are the brands of baby foods, as well as the name of the products, that contain dangerous levels of neurotoxins (source: House Committee on Oversight and Reform):
Beech-Nut Nutrition Company
- Beech-Nut Rice Single Grain Baby Cereal
- Beech-Nut Oatmeal Whole Grain Baby Cereal
- Beech-Nut Organics Just Carrots
- Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Carrots
- Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Potatoes Stage 2
- Beech-Nut Classics Mixed Vegetables Stage 2
Earth’s Best Organic
- Earth's Best Organic Sensitivity DHR/ARA Infant Formula with Iron
- Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain Rice Cereal
- Earth's Best Organic Sesame Street Peanut Butter Baked Corn Puffs
- Earth's Best Organic Spinach and Potato Baby Food 6 months
Gerber
- Gerber Multigrain Cereal
- Gerber Rice Single Grain Cereal
- Gerber Oatmeal Single Grain Cereal
- Gerber Whole Wheat Whole Grain Cereal
- Gerber Barley Single Grain Cereal
- Gerber Diced Carrots Veggie Pickups
- Gerber Carrot Sitter 2nd Food
- Gerber Carrot Supported Sitter 1st Goods
- Gerber Sweet Potato Supported Sitter 1st Foods Tub
- Gerber Sweet Potato Sitter 2nd Foods
- Gerber Fruit & Veggie Melts Truly Tropical Blend Free
- Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits
Happy Family Organics
- HappyBABY Organic Oats & Quinoa Baby Cereal Whole Grains with Iron
- HappyBABY Organic Baby Cereal, Clearly Crafted Whole Grains
- HappyBABY Organic Simple Combos Apples, Spinach & Kale
- HappyBABY Superfoods Puffs - Apple & Broccoli Organic Snack
- HappyBABY Superfood Puffs - Sweet Potato & Carrot Organic Snack
- HappyBABY Organic Rice Cakes Puffed Rice Snack
Plum Organics
- Plum Organics Mighty Morning Bar
- Plum Organics Teensy Snacks Berry
- Plum Organics Grow Well Tummy
- Plum Organics Grow Well Muscle
- Plum Organics Little Teethers
- Plum Organics Mighty Snack Bars
Walmart
- Parents Choice Organic Strawberry Rice Rusks
- Parents Choice Little Hearts Strawberry Yogurt Cereal Snacks Stage 3
- Parents Choice Carrot Stage 2
Kroger
- Comforts Blueberry Little Puffs Cereal Snack
- Simple Truth Organics Whole Grain Puffs Broccoli & Spinach
Other brands
- Baby Mum-Mum Banana Rice Rusks
- BioKinetics Brown Rice Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Baby Cereal
- Cream of Wheat Instant Original Flavor
- Cuetara Animalitos Galleta Crackers
- Deluxe Pasta Macaroni & Cheese Original Flavor
- Healthy Times Organic Brown Rice Cereal
- Kitchdee Organic Baby Cereal Rice and Lentil
- Kraft Mac & Cheese Dinner Original Flavor
- Nosh! Baby Munchabes Organic Teething Wafers
- NurturMe Organic Quinoa Cereals
- Similac Advance OptiGRO Powder
- SOBISK Breakfast Biscuits Golden Oat
It is important to mention another neurotoxin in the context of dangerous baby food, namely perchlorate. Any concentration greater than 1 ppb of perchlorate in baby food or drinking water can put the health of a child at high risk. While perchlorate is not a heavy metal itself, it is a strong oxidizer that will accelerate the release of heavy metals in the soil. Therefore, it can be present in baby food along with heavy metals. To understand how serious the issue of baby food contamination is, the following are the dangerous concentrations for each heavy metal:
- arsenic: 75 to 100 ppb
- lead: 17 to 27 ppb
- cadmium: 25 to 50 ppb
- mercury: 3 to 4 ppb
Baby foods with concerning levels of neurotoxins that also make parents eligible to file a claim
Unlike baby food with dangerous concentrations of heavy metals, these products contain a smaller amount of neurotoxins but are still deemed unsafe. Therefore, parents who have fed their infant or toddler the baby foods on this list qualify for filing a claim too. Firstly, it is important to define what a concerning level of heavy metals is when it comes to baby food. These are the official concerning amounts of neurotoxins in baby food:
- arsenic: 40 to 75 ppb
- lead: 7 to 17 ppb
- mercury: 1 to 3 ppb
- cadmium: 10 to 25 ppb
The following are the brands of baby food with concerning levels of heavy metals:
- Beech-Nut
- Earth's Best Organic
- Gerber
- HappyBABY Organic
- Sprout
- HAPPYTOT Organics
- Harvest Hill
- Little Duck Organics
- Little Dutch Maid
- Meijer
- Nostalgia Marias
- Enfamil
Consequently, if a baby was fed one or more of these food products and developed a disorder on the autism spectrum, their parents can file a claim as well to recover financial compensation for the distress and suffering of the child.
The current FDA limits and regulations concerning neurotoxins in baby food
Regrettably, the FDA has limited and regulated the presence of only some heavy metals in baby food, which leaves a lot of manufacturers free to skip checking the level of neurotoxins in their products. In October of 2021, Attorney General William Tong joined 23 other attorneys general petitioning the FDA to protect the health and wellbeing of children across the country by prompting actions to eliminate heavy metals from baby food. The petition is a response to the rising alarm regarding the health hazard of heavy metals in baby food and the failure of companies and suppliers to reduce the risks.
The following are the FDA limits with regard to the four heavy metals of concern found in a wide range of baby food expressed in parts per billion (ppb):
- arsenic: the limit is 100 ppb, but it only applies to rice cereals made for infants and not to other types of baby food
- lead: there is no limit when it comes to lead in baby food at the moment, but the limit in drinking water is 5 ppb
- cadmium: no limit has been set by the agency for cadmium in baby food, but the limit is also 5 ppb for drinking water
- mercury: the agency has not enforced any limit concerning mercury as well, but for drinking water, the limit is 2 ppb
The Baby Food Safety Act of 2021
Nevertheless, on March 26, 2021, the bill known as the Baby Food Safety Act was introduced in the House with the purpose of establishing the maximum concentrations allowable of the four heavy metals in infant and toddler food, which is defined as products sold for children up to 36 months old (source: Congress). Here is what this bill proposes in respect of the permissible limit of heavy metals in baby food:
- arsenic: 10 ppb inorganic arsenic cap on baby food in general with a 15 ppb inorganic arsenic cap on infant cereal
- lead: 5 ppb lead cap on baby food and 10 ppb lead cap on infant cereal
- cadmium: 5 ppb cadmium cap on baby food and 10 ppb cap on infant cereal
- mercury: 2 ppb mercury cap on all baby food
The Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 has not yet passed the Senate so that it can move forward, which means that it is pending. We should expect to hear updates about it within the following months. If it becomes effective, the risk of children developing autism spectrum disorders will significantly diminish, and baby food will become completely safe to consume for infants and toddlers.
Finally, to help families whose children have been fed any dangerous brand of baby food, we took the initiative to set up a baby food replacement initiative. Also, if a child has any of the qualifiable diseases, parents may also want to visit our testing requests page.
