Nearly Half of Baby Formulas Tested Contain Lead and Arsenic
- by Natasha Hobley
- Published
- Environment
After testing 41 types of powdered baby formula, Consumer Reports (CR) reported the presence of harmful contaminants in nearly half of those tested. Contaminants included arsenic, lead, and “forever chemicals” such as PFAS.1
Only a day after sharing test results with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency announced a new initiative to strengthen oversight of the baby formula industry, which will include increased testing for contaminants.1
Millions of parents rely on formula to feed their babies. Approximately one in five newborns in the United States depends on baby formula as a sole source of food, and by six months of age, three out of four babies are consuming formula as the major source of nutrients.1
Infant formula is one of the most tightly regulated foods on the market. However, both the most recent CR report, as well as the 2022 formula shortage that was caused by formula contamination with a deadly bacteria, demonstrate that gaps still exist.
Inorganic arsenic, found naturally in the earth’s crust but also known to be a carcinogen, was found highest in two types of formula made by Abbott Nutrition. Similac, one of the most widely used and known brands on the market, contained 15.1 parts per billion (ppb) while testing of its sister formula made by Abbott known as EleCare Hypoallergenic revealed arsenic levels of 19.7 parts per billion (ppb).1
Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment (IHE) David Carpenter, MD called the tests results an “outrageous situation.” He said:
There is no excuse for having arsenic in baby food or formula. Absolutely none. The industry should be bending over backward to be certain its not there.”1
Lead, known for harming children’s neurological development through exposure to paint, was found in almost all baby formulas tested. Lead levels ranged from 1.2 ppb to 4.2 ppb. These numbers would put the average three-month-old intake between 50 to 100 percent of the Maximum Allowable Dose Level set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.1
PFAS and BPA Found in Some Formulas
PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their resistance to breakdown and remain in both the environment and human body, some chemicals remaining for centuries. PFAS were present in almost all formulas tested. CR does add that those results were not included in their chart because they tested only one sample from each type of formula which “isn’t a robust enough test to say which products have it and which ones don’t. But CR believes that this is a subject that deserves a closer look.”1
Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, as well as the chemical acrylamide were found in just one formula— Enfamil’s Nutramigen, a commonly recommended baby formula product. Formula manufacturer Mead Johnson disputed the findings saying they contradict “hundreds of results from several years of testing done on both raw materials and finished products.”1
Sale of Commercial Baby Formula is a Multibillion Dollar Industry
The sale of commercial milk formula is a multibillion-dollar industry that has long been criticized for political lobbying and marketing tactics. Four main companies produce an estimated 98 percent of baby formulas on the U.S. market: Abbott, Mead Johnson, Nestle, and Perrigo. All companies listed have been cited for repeatedly violating the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, which is a voluntary but important initiative put in place in 1981 to protect breastfeeding by aiming “to stop the aggressive and inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes.”2
In a Yale School of Public Health publication, professor of Human Development Linda Richter stated:
The formula milk industry uses poor science to suggest, with little supporting evidence, that the products are solutions to common infant health and developmental challenges.3
Aside from being influencing political organizations, baby formula companies also fund professional medical organizations, publish sponsored articles in scientific journals, and invite leaders in public health onto advisory boards and committees.3
If you would like to receive an e-mail notice of the most recent articles published in The Vaccine Reaction each week, click here.
Click here to view References: