Debates have arisen over the years as to whether or not there is a link between heavy metals and child development. Now, a new court case hopes to shed a light on this once and for all.
A legislative report that surfaced in February 2021 asserted that certain popular baby food brands are “tainted with dangerous levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.”
According to study, these leading infant food brands have “internal company standards [that] permit dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals, and documents revealed that the manufacturers have often sold foods that exceed those levels,” according to congressional investigators’ report.
The Clean Label Project’s executive director, Jaclyn Bowen, referred to the findings as “a welcomed wake-up call”.
Heavy metals in baby food had been the subject of complaints and concerns before this inquiry, and more came up afterward.
There’s another grievance
A request was made in January 2022 for a court hearing to bring the science of autism and heavy metals in baby feeding under oath. This project aims to find out what causes autism and whether exposure to heavy metals is associated with it. We are still awaiting word on whether the case request will move forward.
This is a first-of-its-kind lawsuit alleging that many major infant food manufacturers deliberately sell goods loaded with dangerously high amounts of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. The action was brought in California by consumer attorneys from national law firm Baum Hedlund. According to research, children who are exposed to these harmful metals may develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
Noah Cantabrana, age seven, was diagnosed with ASD and ADHD. His parents filed the lawsuit. The Southern California couple alleges that after their seven-year-old son ate a lot of baby food from the following defendants, he developed a diagnosis: The following companies are located in the United States: Walmart, Inc. (Parent’s Choice) of Arkansas; Sprout Foods, Inc. of New Jersey; Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Earth’s Best Organic) of New York; Gerber Products Company of Michigan; and Nurture, Inc. (Happy Family Organics and HappyBABY) of New York.
“These baby food manufacturers have wreaked havoc on the health of countless vulnerable children, all in the name of maximising profits while deliberately misleading parents regarding the safety of their baby foods,” claims Baum Hedlund. “They have done this through malicious recklessness and callous disregard for human life.”
“Never would have purchased baby foods from the defendants if the companies had disclosed the known dangers associated with their products,” the Cantabranas have declared.
The Cantabrana family’s attorneys claim that because young children’s brains are still developing, they are susceptible to neurodevelopmental issues if they ingest hazardous metals in quantities seen in baby food items.
“Babies and toddlers are more likely than adults to be exposed to metals due to their increased food intake relative to body weight and higher rate of metal absorption, which can range from 40% to 90%. Furthermore, because they have weaker detoxifying systems and lower immune systems than adults, newborns and toddlers’ processes for metabolizing and eliminating heavy metals are relatively underdeveloped, according to the law company.
The legal company continues, “Studies have shown that exposure to heavy metals can cause serious and irreversible damage to neurological systems even at low levels.”
The National Institutes of Health analyzed twins to hunt for genetic impacts so that they could concentrate on potential environmental causes of autism spectrum disorder. Their results imply that variations in early exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, could influence the likelihood of developing autism.
Furthermore, government institutions and associations of medical professionals concur that exposure to heavy metals poses a risk to young children. The World Health Organization states that children are at “major public health concern” due to toxic heavy metal exposure. Metals “may build up in biological systems and become a significant health hazard,” according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Could food contain heavy metals be avoided?
The earth’s crust is home to naturally occurring substances called heavy metals, which can be found in the soil, water, and air. Therefore, all food and water will include some trace of metals; it’s not just infant food that may contain residues. Numerous factors, such as growth conditions and agricultural practices, can affect the amount of heavy metals in food.
Five particular elements are highly hazardous and are considered priority metals that pose a serious threat to human health: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury. They may be harmful to the human body at excessive concentrations.
These metals are difficult to remove because they are found naturally in the environment or have gotten into the water, air, and soil due to pollution.
Is consuming any amount of heavy metals safe for infants?
Furthermore, the EPA and FDA have established upper limits of two parts per billion for inorganic mercury and five parts per billion for cadmium in drinking water, however there are no particular restrictions for baby meals.
Family physician Dr. Stephanie Canale, founder of Lactation Lab, told New Food that there is a ton of data that links low dosage, continuous exposure to heavy metals to autism, receptive and expressive language delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral issues. Finding heavy metals in baby food and supplements ought to be illegal. Because of their developing, undeveloped brains, infants are more susceptible to harmful exposures that can last a lifetime.
The “low levels of heavy metals found in baby foods likely are a relatively small part of a child’s overall heavy metal exposure risk,” according to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP).
Dr. Canale contends, however, that making “changes to assure the safety of moms and babies” is “necessary” and that doing so is “the responsible thing to do.” He also notes that “it’s not hard.”
So is autism caused by heavy metals?
A definitive decision on the problem of heavy metals in baby food and the health dangers they pose has not yet been reached. More research is needed. Of course, we are aware that when exposure is high, it might have lethal effects. Additionally, research appears to point to a possible link between heavy metals and certain learning problems, but this is still up for debate until the trial is over.
Although it is currently not feasible to totally remove these ingredients from baby or adult food, there are a few methods that consumers can use to reduce their intake.