These baby foods and formulas tested positive for arsenic, lead and BPA in new study
A distressing new baby food study has been making the rounds on the internet the last week or two, and we’re here to separate fact from fiction. The Clean Label Project is a non-profit organization that fights for “transparent labeling” on baby food products. They recently tested 500+ baby food products, and found that “65% of products tested positive for arsenic, 36% for lead, 58% for cadmium and 10% for acrylamide.” These are toxins are of course of great concern for new mothers and their little bundles of joy. Over the years, arsenic has been linked to “developmental defects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity, diabetes and even cancer, according to the World Health Organization.”
According to the study, arsenic was the toxin most commonly found in the products tested. Arsenic was detected in a staggering 80% of the products tested. Rice snack puffs seem to be of the biggest concern, as they had “some of the highest levels of arsenic.” The FDA’s had hoped to limit arsenic in puffed rice treats to 100 parts per billion, but it’s unclear at this time if they’re actually enforcing it.
Arsenic wasn’t the only concerning chemical found. Researchers also detected varying levels of lead and BPA. What’s may be most concerning is that are a large number of these products were specifically not marketed as not containing chemicals, with 60% of the product being labeled as “BPA free”.
As disturbing as the news of this study is, questions do remain. Most important of them being, “Is this study accurate?” That’s the question on everyone’s mind because the study was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the data and methods used were not provided.
Ultimately, while questions remain it’s more important than ever for us to not only read labels, but to ask questions. Ask the store associate, ask the product manufacturer, and we should even be asking questions of the researchers completing studies.
To learn more about the toxins detected, click here: https://usat.ly/2zNCWeW
For the full results of the study, follow this link: http://bit.ly/2zK0b8S