Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other heavy metals found in baby food!

[flying_wahini]

Tests of 168 baby foods from major manufacturers in the US found 95% contained lead, 73% contained arsenic, 75% contained cadmium and 32% contained mercury. One fourth of the foods contained all four heavy metals.

[link:https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/17/health/baby-foods-arsenic-lead-toxic-metals-wellness/index.html|

Infant rice cereal, rice dishes and rice-based snacks topped the list of most toxic foods for babies.

[TheBlackAdder]

1. And one thing often cut out, which is essential for fetal & baby brain development, is iodine.

[magicarpet]

2. How much is attributable to toxic level of heavy metals to baby food product coming from China ?

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Yes and add

Brazil to that list as well as Mexico.

[womanofthehills]

14. Actually, rice with toxic metals also coming from Louisianna, Arkansas and Texas (no surprise)

California rice is the cleanest. Looks like we should always buy white basmati from California, India and Pakistan. Letting rice sit overnight in water and then rinsing good helps lower arsenic content.

Our latest tests determined that the inorganic arsenic content of rice varies greatly depending on the type of rice and where it was grown. White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic-arsenic amount of most other types of rice.

All types of rice (except sushi and quick cooking) with a label indicating that it’s from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in our tests. For instance, white rices from California have 38 percent less inorganic arsenic than white rices from other parts of the country.

Brown rice has 80 percent more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice of the same type. Arsenic accumulates in the grain’s outer layers, which are removed to make white rice. Brown has more nutrients, though, so you shouldn’t switch entirely to white. Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.

Rice that’s grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don’t rely on organic to have less arsenic.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

[Aristus]

4. Well good. This means our corporations are not being tied down by pesky regulations.

[smirkymonkey]

10. Just what I was going to say.

It amazes me how much the average Joe and Jane republican tends to champion the elimination of "regulations", when those regulations are things that protect THEM, and indeed all of us.

I don't even think they know what they are supporting when they say they are against regulations, they are just parroting the words of the right-wing politicians and businessmen because, hell, these guys are republicans and if republicans are for it then it must be good!

It's going to take some tragedies that affect them and their families before they wake up and realize that all these millionaires and billionaires couldn't give a damn about them, and in fact are actively dedicated to making their lives significantly worse.

[flying_wahini]

5. Gives more credence to FDA budget cuts thanks to Trump.

[flying_wahini]

6. And this...

One "organic" milk formula marketed to toddlers had levels of inorganic arsenic that were six times the levels currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

[NickB79]

7. It doesn't say toxic levels of heavy metals

It says that heavy metals were found, and they are toxic at high enough levels, but none of the baby food had levels that high.

Not trying to downplay this contamination, it just didn't match what the article states.

[Codeine]

8. Just so.

The headline is a flat lie.

[womanofthehills]

15. Newsweek article says - one in five tested as 10 times over legally mandidated amt of lead

One in five of the samples contained over 10 times the legally mandated amount of lead as recommended by health experts. While they agree that no level of lead in food is safe, a 1-ppb limit is endorsed by most public health experts.

https://www.newsweek.com/almost-100-percent-baby-foods-tested-contain-neurotoxins-including-lead-arsenic-study-1466085

[NickB79]

18. Yes, but 10X the legal limit isn't toxic in the normal sense of the word

It can and likely will cause bodily harm over a period of years, but it isn't close to acutely toxic unless you look out 50+ years.

[fleur-de-lisa]

9. I'm not surprised about rice-based products.

Many fields in the south, especially Louisiana, that were former cotton fields are loaded with arsenic. It was used to control boll weevils that damaged the cotton plants. Apparently arsenic stays in the soil for a long time.

[WhiteTara]

11. The rice grown in the US is grown on old cotton fields

that were drenched with arsenic for decades as they tried to eradicate the boll weavel. And of course in good old greedy fashion, they didn't bother to remediate the soil and so the arsenic just leaches into the food grown there. The rice in India is now all gmo and it is all fumigated when it comes into the US. Lundberg out of California is the only rice that is edible in the US.

[flying_wahini]

12. Is Lundberg the brand name under which it is sold?

I’m going to look for it.

[WhiteTara]

16. Yes, that's the brand name.

[SidDithers]

13. Here's a link to the actual report...

instead of the breathless headline from CNN, and the even more deceptive headline in the OP.

https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf

Scroll down to Appendix A (page 19 of the report) for the measurement results.

Measurements are in ppb.

NOTE: the report is not a peer-reviewed study published in a reputable journal.

Sid

[womanofthehills]

17. For yrs, info on high levels of arsenic in rice has been in lots of news articles

It's good all the news networks are getting this info out - children should not have more than 2 servings of rice a week and forget about all the rice cakes, candy, cereal, milk, etc.

[flying_wahini]

19. Maybe it's not reputable enough to save the businesses and not the people?

Not sure I would feel safe just because it’s under the wire on toxicity.