Report: Lead in baby food could be lowering kids' IQ

Low levels of lead contaminate many of the foods Americans eat, including nearly all categories of baby food, a report by the Environmental Defense Fund shows.

Fruit juices, root vegetables, and cookies were the baby foods most likely to contain lead.

“No child gets high levels of lead from food alone,” said Tom Neltner, the group’s chemicals policy director. “But low levels of lead cause a lot of harm to kids across the country.”

No safe level of lead in children’s blood has been identified. Even very low levels can cause behavioral problems and reduce IQ.

Lead-based paint chips and dust have long been identified as a major source of lead for children. More recently, the crisis in Flint, Michigan, prompted drinking water systems across the country to test for and remedy high lead levels in drinking water.

But food also is a significant source of young children’s exposure to lead, the Environmental Defense Fund says in its report.

None of the products tested exceeded current government safety standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits lead in bottled water to 5 parts per billion (ppb) and recommends water systems take action if lead at taps tests higher than 15 ppb in 10 percent of outlets.

Standards for food are higher: 30 ppb for apple juice; 50 ppb for grape juice; and 100 ppb for dried fruit, including raisins.

The highest level the FDA detected in apple juice was 29 ppb; and the highest level in grape juice was 20 ppb. The highest level detected in all baby food was 64 ppb in a 2013 sample of vegetable and beef dinner.

EDF estimates, based on data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year, that more than a million children consume more lead than the 6 micrograms per day the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deems safe.

And lower IQs caused by lead exposure translate into a total of $27 billion per year in lost earnings nationwide, the researchers say.

The group analyzed publicly available data from the FDA’s Total Diet Study, which each year collects samples of food from around the country and tests it for a host of nutrients and contaminants, including lead.

The government database includes test results for 57 types of baby food and formula tested between 2003 and 2013.

EDF’s analysis found that, over that 11-year time period, at least one test had measurable levels of lead in 52 of those types of baby food.

Overall, 20 percent of the baby food samples were positive for lead, compared with 14 percent of regular food samples.

FDA does not identify the brands that were tested or the stores where they were purchased. FDA officials did not respond to an interview request.

In a statement, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade group representing food companies such as Gerber, said lead and other minerals are found naturally in soil and water throughout the world.

“As a result, virtually all foods grown in nature, including fruit – which is often one of the primary ingredients in baby food – contain trace levels of such naturally occurring minerals,” the trade group said. “Food and beverage companies seek to adhere to strict manufacturing practices to assure that lead is never added during the cultivation or processing of foods. They also work to ensure that the presence of naturally occurring minerals is minimized to the greatest extent possible to ensure the safety of their products for all consumers.”

The researchers, though, noted that not all lead in soil is naturally occurring. Some comes from decades of use of lead-arsenate pesticides, air deposition from burning leaded gasoline, and industrial sources.

Contamination also could happen during processing from lead leaching from older brass, bronze, plastic or coated food handling equipment that contains lead; or from deteriorated lead paint in the building.

Neltner argues that the government standards don’t reflect current scientific research, which indicates that no level of lead is safe.

Last month, the FDA said it is reevaluating lead limits for juice, he said.

“Such a re-evaluation is long overdue and urgently needed since the level does not reflect the scientific discoveries of the past 25 years, which show that no safe level of lead in the blood of children has been identified,” EDF wrote in its report.

EDF is pushing manufacturers to set a voluntary limit of 1 ppb of lead in baby food and other foods marketed to young children. They also want companies to test more frequently during processing and take action if levels are exceeded.

Meanwhile, Neltner said, parents should talk with their child’s pediatrician about ways to reduce lead exposure, and should contact makers of their favorite food brands to ask whether the company regularly tests for lead and ensures that levels remain below 1 ppb.

“I don’t know whether we can completely eliminate lead,” Neltner said. “But I think we can make a significant dent in that $27 billion, give these kids the IQ points back and benefit society overall.”

tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/Tracy_Loew

Read the report

The Environmental Defense Fund's report "Lead in food: A hidden threat" will be available at 9 a.m. Eastern Time Thursday at www.edf.org/lead-in-food.

High lead levels found in 154 taps in 9 Oregon youth correctional facilities

Does your school’s drinking water contain lead?

Some tiny water utilities in Oregon have big problems