Toxic Baby Foods Linked To Autism Was Your Child Affected?

“Any limits would be welcome, but the ultimate goal is to have no measurable levels of any heavy metal in baby and toddler foods,” says Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports. They all are part of the earth’s crust, so they are naturally found in the environment. But most of the heavy metals in food come from soil or water that has been contaminated through either farming and manufacturing practices or pollution . Jay Schneider, Ph.D., a professor of anatomy, pathology, and cell biology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, has examined hundreds of children who have suffered the effects of lead exposure.
We support students, families, caregivers and communities with resources, personal stories and a national directory of partner attorneys. The more fundamental issue, advocates say, is that there aren’t standards in place to pressure the supply chain to reduce exposure as much as possible. The issue has been on the FDA’s radar, but there have been no changes to any food standards.  Reduce carrots and sweet potatoes and give the baby a variety of fruits and vegetables. Representatives of Walmart and Campbell Soup disputed the characterization, saying the companies had responded to requests for information, although they acknowledged they did not provide testing data.

Online readers should not act on this information without seeking professional counsel. By clicking the “SEE IF I QUALIFY” button, you agree that you will be contacted by telephone, email SMS/Text Message , even if you are on a federal or state Do Not Call registry, to confirm the accuracy of the information you submit and verify if you qualify. If you believe you have evidence that could strengthen your case, be sure to let your lawyer know. Your attorney can also request materials from you or take your statement to submit it as evidence.
We also love that Amara’s packets are lightweight, making them less of an environmental burden, and that they are more affordable than pouched baby food. Amara’s packets can be re-hydrated with water, breast milk, or formula, and it’s amazing to see them turn to a puree that retains the natural taste and texture of the whole ingredients. There are other potential downsides to pouch-feeding, including that it may inhibit chewing and even normal speech development. That said, I wouldn’t worry too much about this as long as your child has ample opportunity to eat finger foods in a variety of textures. Read on to learn how to read pouched baby food labels, the concerning contaminants you won’t see on labels, and which brands are Okay Stuff if you aren’t able to find the Good Stuff.

Plaintiffs in 43 lawsuits over toxic metal contamination in baby foods filed a motion in March asking for the cases to be consolidated in New York federal court. Injuries resulting from the consumption of contaminated baby food are permanent, creating a difficult path for some babies who are severely affected. Because lawsuits continue to pile up, parents hope that Congress and the FDA will begin to promote transparency and place limits on the level of contaminants that can be safely present in baby foods.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication, interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.
Switching from rice-based products to those made with oats, corn, barley or quinoa could reduce the ingestion of arsenic by 84% and total heavy metal content by about 64%, according to the study of 168 baby food products by the group Healthy Babies Bright Futures. Attorneys Will Kemp and Robert Eglet said the basis for their lawsuit was a Feb. 4 congressional report alleging the makers of Gerber, Beech-Nut, Earth’s Best Organic and Happy Baby products “knowingly sell” tainted baby foods to unsuspecting parents. The attorneys said other families and children in Nevada could be affected.

Meanwhile, they recommend that reducing exposure to these toxins is wise for the sake of children’s health. Through the use of contingency attorney fees, individuals have access to the experience and resources of our national law firm for baby food lawsuits – regardless of their individual financial resources. We are looking for people to join our lawsuit and serve as lead plaintiffs. As a lead plaintiff, you will be named in the suit and, along with other lead plaintiffs, represent all those affected by the actions of the baby food manufacturers. There are many problems with lead contamination due to its use in pipes, paints, and other industrial applications.
In October 2021, a Congressional Subcommittee report confirmed that many popular baby foods contained dangerously high levels of toxic metals — but manufacturers did not issue recalls. The lawsuit, filed  in Washington’s Superior Court, follows a Congressional report in February that found toxic metals including arsenic, gerber baby food lawsuit lead, cadmium and mercury in baby-food products, resulting in a number of consumer-led legal actions. In March, US lawmakers tabled a bill which would implement new rules on metal in baby food. Specifically, these toxic metals are linked with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

With additional focus, it can further reduce heavy metal exposure in baby food, too. The United States has made major strides to reduce the use of fossil fuels, filter pollutants and remove lead from many products such as gasoline and paint. Processes can now also remove a proportion of the heavy metals from drinking water. However, the heavy metals that accumulated in the soil over the decades is an ongoing problem, especially in developing countries.
Had the families suing known how much toxic metal the food products contained, they would not have purchased them, the complaint argued. Their lawyers, with the Las Vegas firms Eglet Adams and Kemp Jones, said children named in the lawsuits suffered from some level of autism. Some of the lawsuits include groups of parents who contend that the toxins found in the baby food led to the development of autism spectrum disorder in their children.

Arsenic is present in seawater and enters the food chain through algae. Most seafood contains a harmless organic form of arsenic, Arsenobetaine, not the more toxic inorganic form. The best way to protect your rights is to discuss this with product liability lawyers at Douglas & London.
Seeking medical advice is important to gain access to special treatments and  therapies. While there are clear struggles people with autism experience on a daily basis, caring for one is physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing – and can be quite costly. Rice puff and teether snacks appear to sometimes test at concerningly high levels of arsenic. Until more is known, it may make sense to swap in other snacks to cut back on potential exposure.
California law requires expert witnesses to have a reasonable foundation for their opinions before testifying at trial. In finding for the plaintiffs, the court is finding that the evidence that links autism and baby foods has an adequate foundation to be presented to a jury. What I have been saying all along was getting past this hurdle was the key to plaintiffs winning jury payouts and getting reasonable settlement amounts. There was no qualified expert who testified in this case that ingestion of heavy metals could cause the range of symptom the child suffers from in this case. There was also no evidence proferred regarding the level of ingestion required to cause those symptoms.