About the Baby Food Autism Lawsuit
With the rates of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the rise, parents of children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders are pointing to what might seem like an innocuous culprit: baby food. However, an investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives confirmed what these parents feared—many common and trusted baby food brands are contaminated with dangerously high levels of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. Childhood exposure to these elements can result in irreversible damage to brain development, leading to neurological disorders.
Devastated parents across the country whose children developed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or ADHD after consuming tainted baby food are filing lawsuits in the hope of holding these companies accountable.
If you are considering your legal options after your child was harmed by eating baby food contaminated with heavy metals, you may be wondering where to start. In this article, you’ll learn about eligibility requirements and how you can take the first steps toward possibly joining the lawsuit.
Heavy Metal Contamination in Baby Food Sparks Nationwide Lawsuits
In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy conducted an investigation that revealed alarming levels of neurotoxic heavy metals like cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury in popular baby food brands. They compared the findings to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s maximum allowable limits for heavy metals in bottled water, and the results were shocking. The amounts in baby food far surpassed the limits, containing up to 91 times the arsenic levels, 177 times the lead levels, 69 times the cadmium levels, and 5 times the mercury levels.
The investigation was based on internal documents and test results from the baby food companies, which revealed a concerning finding: the companies appeared to have been aware of the contamination but knowingly sold the tainted baby food. What’s more, they continue to sell the contaminated products, despite evidence that exposure to heavy metals can cause brain damage in infants and children.
Grief-stricken parents who watched their children develop disorders like ASD and ADHD without a clear genetic or environmental cause made the connection upon learning of the investigation’s results. This prompted families across the United States to seek justice by filing lawsuits alleging companies knew their products were unsafe, downplayed the contamination, and continued to sell baby food that led to irreversible brain damage. The lawsuits were ultimately consolidated under multidistrict litigation (MDL), making it easier for affected families to join together to fight for accountability and compensation.
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