80% of baby formula reportedly contains arsenic!

Scientific studies into baby food have allegedly found that a shockingly high-level of baby formulas tested contained arsenic.

To be precise, some 80%!

Arsenic poisoning is extremely serious as it can attack the blood cells and can be fatal. For a baby or an infant, the thought of them ingesting arsenic is literally horrifying. Not-for-profit organisation The Clean Label Project believes that the labelling of food and products should be completely transparent, and it was this organisation that reportedly tested a variety of baby foods, formulas, drinks and snacks for toddlers to see just what they contained.

Having reportedly tested 530 different products, the most shocking outcome was that 80% of infant formulas apparently tested positive for arsenic. In some products, results showed as much as 600 parts-per-billion of arsenic.

Several top brands allegedly tested positive for the toxic metalloid, including:

Dartmouth University researchers found that there may be arsenic exposure in a lot of foods due to pesticides from the soil in the earth. According to the researchers, brown rice, some seafood, brussel sprouts, beer and wine, as well as some chicken, contain trace amounts of arsenic.

However, these are not arguably just ‘trace’ amounts; 600 parts-per-billion of arsenic is not necessarily insignificant. Regulators are reportedly aware of trace arsenic amounts in food, and there have been previous calls for limits of 100 parts-per-billion. As such, a baby product containing six-times the potential maximum level of arsenic is worrying.

The World Health Organisation explains that children ingesting high levels of arsenic can massively increase their chances of horrific conditions such as:

Gerber responded to the report and dismissed the findings. They have rejected the concerns that babies and young infants may be ingesting excessive and dangerous levels of arsenic.

In a statement, Gerber’s representative said that the report, “may have caused unnecessary alarm”, about their products and assured that the company’s products, “meet or exceed standards for quality and safety”. They also added that, “we regularly test our foods and formulas”.

The report also found that some products labelled as “organic” had even more arsenic in them; around double the levels in some cases.

Other startling statistics from the report included:

Cadmium is also a toxic metal usually found in industrial work sites. The metal is linked with kidney failure, respiratory diseases, development difficulties, cardiovascular diseases and skeletal lesions, according to experts.

It all makes for worrying reading.