WASHINGTON – On November 23, the baby product company Green Sprouts issued a voluntary recall of more than 10,000 stainless steel bottles and sippy cups because of lead poisoning concerns.
“It is unacceptable that these cups may have exposed children to lead, a potent neurotoxin,” said Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., vice president of science investigations at the Environmental Working Group. “Companies must vigorously test their products for lead, especially those marketed for use by babies and children.”
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the faulty products include 6-ounce and 8-ounce stainless steel cups and bottles. The recall affects all stainless steel bottles with a removable base cover. The bottom base cap of these cups can break off to expose a solder dot containing lead that could pose a hazard.
Consumers should immediately stop using the affected products and discard them.
That same day, more than 85,000 items of Disney-themed children's clothing also were recalled due to the exposure risk from lead in textile ink. The recalled sets of clothing contained levels of lead that exceeded the federal lead paint ban or the federal lead content ban. The clothing was sold at T.J. Maxx, Ross, Burlington, Army and Air Force Exchange Service and online at Amazon from November 2021 through August 2022. Consumers should immediately take the clothing sets away from children. Bentex is offering a refund and instructions on how to return or dispose of the recalled clothing.
There is no safe blood lead level in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure causes an array of health problems, including brain damage, lowered IQ and other harm to brain and nervous system development. Even small amounts can cause behavior and learning problems, slow growth, impair hearing and the ability to pay attention, and weakens overall cognitive development.
Because of their developing bodies, babies and young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure – they absorb four to five times as much ingested lead as adults, according to the World Health Organization. Today babies and kids are exposed to lead mostly through paint in older, badly maintained residential units and contaminated drinking water.
“We’ve known for decades that even a tiny amount of lead exposure during childhood can affect neurodevelopment, including behavior changes, problems with cognitive development and attention deficit difficulties,” said Naidenko.
“No infant or child should be exposed to the damaging effects of this dangerous heavy metal. The impact of elevated lead levels in a child's blood can include devastating lifelong consequences,” she added.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
