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A report from the Home Supervision Committee says that alarming levels of toxic heavy metals – including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury – have been found in baby food products with large labels. The heavy metals can impede the neurological development of infants in infants. The chairman of the subcommittee expressed frustration over federal regulators, the Washington Post reports. “Over the past decade, advocates and scientists have brought it under the Food and Drug Administration,” said Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi. “The FDA needs to set standards and regulate this industry much more closely, and start now.” The agency said it was looking into the panel’s findings. The panel asked for seven labels to give the results of their internal tests. Gerber, Beech-Nut, HappyBABY and Earth’s best organic baby food did; Plum Organics baby food, Walmart’s Parent’s Choice and Sprout Foods.
Because the heavy metals occur naturally, you do not have to panic, a Consumer Reports expert said. “You want to reduce the risk,” he said. “You can not eliminate it completely, but you can reduce it.” He suggests that parents make sure their child’s diet is varied, and avoid snacks with high levels of heavy metals, such as crackers and puffs. Rice and potato products absorb pollution more easily, he said. A US agency considers arsenic to be the most dangerous substance naturally occurring, with lead no. “Exposure to these toxic heavy metals affects babies’ brain development and nervous system,” said an expert from the Environmental Defense Fund. “It affects their behavior, permanently reduces their IQ and, if you want to bring it down to dollars, their potential for lifelong earnings.” The committee posted its report here. (There is a way to cook rice that reduces the arsenic in it, say researchers.)