Baby products contaminated with heavy metals, even biological ones. Scientists from a subcommittee of the White House, who recently carried out tests in the USA, revealed it. The most serious problem is that these are baby products from major brands – well known also in our country – whose producers were perfectly aware of them. Here are the results reported in the dossier. Heavy metals in baby products
Mercury, inorganic arsenic, lead and cadmium. These are the disturbing substances found in baby products which, in general, should be considered safe. The problem is that it seems impossible to protect consumers from the risk of heavy metal poisoning because it is the producers themselves who determine the permitted values. And the latter are particularly high. Baby food with heavy metals, conscious producers
«Baby food manufacturers occupy a special position of public trust. But consumers mistakenly believe these companies aren’t selling unsafe products. The subcommittee staff report found that these manufacturers knowingly sell baby food containing high levels of toxic heavy metals. I hope companies commit to making safer baby food. Regardless, it is time for us to develop better standards for the sake of future generations, ”said Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the subcommittee on economic policy. The offending brands
Tests were performed on Gerber (Nestle), Danone (Nurture Inc.), Nutrition Company and Hain Celestial Group, Inc (Organic Products) products. The levels of these brands are far above the limits required by the FDA. To give us an idea, we can say that some contained 177 times (more) levels of lead, 91 of arsenic and 69 of cadmium. “These results are multiples greater than those allowed by existing regulations for other products. For example, the Food and Drug Administration has set the maximum allowable level in bottled water at 10 ppb of inorganic arsenic, 5 ppb of lead and 5 ppb cadmium, and the Environmental Protection Agency has reduced the allowable level of mercury in bottled water. ‘drinking water at 2 ppb. Test results for baby foods and their ingredients eclipse those levels: including results up to 91 times the level of arsenic, up to 177 times the level of lead, up to 69 times the level of cadmium and up to 5 times the level of mercury. ‘ We remind you that both for the World Health Organization and for the FDA, lead, inorganic arsenic and mercury are considered toxic metals for human health, especially for children. In fact, during childhood, the human body is particularly sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of heavy metals, which could cause irreversible damage to the brain. inorganic arsenic and mercury are considered toxic metals for human health, especially for children. In fact, during childhood, the human body is particularly sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of heavy metals, which could cause irreversible damage to the brain. inorganic arsenic and mercury are considered toxic metals for human health, especially for children. In fact, during childhood, the human body is particularly sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of heavy metals, which could cause irreversible damage to the brain.But the producers defend themselves
The companies surveyed during the tests were contacted by CNN before the report was published, Gerber (Nestle) was one of the first companies to reply: “All of our foods meet our safety and quality standards, which are among the most severe not only in the United States, but in the world. Gerber foods are supported by rigorous supervision at all levels of the growth and production process where currently there are no government standards, we develop our rigorous standards by applying the latest guidelines on food safety ». While Beech-Nut Nutrition focused on the current standard values: «We set standards for heavy metal analysis 35 years ago and we continuously revise and strengthen them where possible. We test every delivery of fruit, vegetables, rice and other ingredients up to 255 contaminants to confirm that each shipment meets our rigorous quality standards. If the ingredients do not meet our standards, we reject them ». Hain, on the other hand, disagrees with the findings of the laboratory tests: “We are disappointed that the Subcommittee’s report has examined outdated data and does not reflect our current practices. Earth’s Best has consistently supported efforts to reduce naturally occurring heavy metals from our food reserves. We are ready to assist the Subcommittee’s efforts towards this goal ». he disagrees with the findings of the laboratory tests: “We are disappointed that the Subcommittee report has examined outdated data and does not reflect our current practices. Earth’s Best has consistently supported efforts to reduce naturally occurring heavy metals from our food reserves. We are ready to assist the Subcommittee’s efforts towards this goal ». he disagrees with the findings of the laboratory tests: “We are disappointed that the Subcommittee report has examined outdated data and does not reflect our current practices. Earth’s Best has consistently supported efforts to reduce naturally occurring heavy metals from our food reserves. We are ready to assist the Subcommittee’s efforts towards this goal ».
On the other hand, Krishnamoorthi hopes that things can change soon: “I look forward to the FDA’s careful regulation of these toxic heavy metals in baby food, followed by strict compliance requirements and mandatory labels for consumers.”
Scientific sources
Oversight Subcommittee Staff Report Reveals Top Baby Foods Contain Dangerous Levels of Toxic Heavy Metals
Leading baby food manufacturers knowingly sold products with high levels of toxic metals, a congressional investigation found – CNN
