Testing Found Lead, Arsenic and Other Harmful Chemicals in Widely Used Infant Formula Products: Consumer Reports

Shortly before FDA announced new testing requirements for baby formula, Consumer Reports found approximately half of all samples tested contained harmful levels of toxic heavy metals.

A consumer watchdog group has found that many popular brands of infant formula contain harmful levels of lead, arsenic and other hazardous chemicals, which could lead to adverse health consequences for children.

According to the results of a new Consumer Reports study (PDF), which was made public this month, nearly half of all infant formula samples tested contained either heavy metals, plastics or other dangerous chemicals. Samples testing positive for lead, arsenic or other toxic contaminants included products manufactured by many popular brands, including Enfamil and Similac.

Toxic heavy metals such as lead and arsenic have been found to be extremely detrimental for children who consume them, potentially heightening the risks of many serious developmental disorders, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as other cognitive and behavioral issues that can affect a child’s development and later long-term health.

According to Consumer Reports’ testing, infant formula products that could contain dangerously high levels of lead, arsenic, BPAs or acrylamide, include those manufactured by:

• Dr. Brown’s
• EleCare
• Enfamil
• Kabrita
• PurAmino
• Similac
• Target

Additional products, some of which were produced by the same manufacturers, did not contain toxic levels of any of the dangerous contaminants included in the watchdog group’s tests.

The tests examined more than 40 different infant formulas, looking at total levels of the metals arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum and potassium, the plastics bisphenol a, f and s, as well as the chemical acrylamide. 

Products were ranked as either Top Choices, which did not contain any or had low levels of toxic substances, Good Choices, which contained levels nearing the daily limits for one of the toxic chemicals, or Worse Choices, which had at least one substance that was above daily recommended levels.

Consumer Reports indicates that it shared its test results with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only one day before federal regulators announced Operation Stork Speed, which is a federal initiative to conduct more nutrition reviews and heavy metal testing on infant formulas sold in the U.S.

Toxic Metals in Baby Food

In addition to concerns about heavy metals in infant formulas, a 2023 Bloomberg Law report found that toxic metals in baby foods remain a pervasive problem.

Issues with high levels of lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic in baby food first emerged in February 2021, following the release of a U.S. House Oversight Committee report based on internal data provided by major baby food companies, including Beech-Nut, Gerber, Hain and Nurture, Inc., which revealed toxic metals to be in the companies’ ingredients and finished products.

The government report raised alarms among many health experts, with most popular baby food manufacturers reporting that they only periodically test their ingredients for quality control, but never actually test the final products for heavy metal concentrations before putting them on store shelves.

Following the release of this information, families across the country began filing toxic baby food lawsuits, claiming that exposure to heavy metals in these products led to their children being diagnosed with autism and/or severe ADHD.