At-a-glance
- Initially uncovered by Consumer Reports, a national survey revealed many baby foods were contaminated with arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.
- Children eat 3X more food per pound than adults.
- Arsenic accumulates in the brain, in particular the hormone-producing pituitary gland.
- It’s associated with lower IQ, mood disorders and is a carcinogen and teratogen (substances that disturb the developing fetus).
- Rice is a main culprit; it absorbs and concentrates arsenic from soil and water. Many rice fields in the southeastern US were old cotton fields where arsenic-containing pesticides were sprayed.
- Other heavy metals such as lead, nickel and chromium were found to be contaminated in glyphosate-based herbicides.
- This is a strong argument for organic-only when feeding babies and diversifying baby foods away from rice-based foods to include other grains.
- https://www.healthybabycereals.org/sites/healthybabycereals.org/files/2017-12/HBBF_ArsenicInInfantCerealReport.pdf
- DeFarge N et al (2018) Toxicity of formulates ad heavy metals in glyphosate-based herbicides and other pesticides. Toxicology Reports, Volume 5, 2018, Pages 156-163, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221475001730149X
