Lawsuit: Baby Bottles Leach Dangerous Microplastics When Heated

A class action lawsuit filed against Philips claims that the company fails to warn consumers its baby bottles leach harmful microplastics when heated as intended. The class action was filed against Philips North America, LLC, and alleges that the company intentionally disregarded potential health hazards related to microplastics in their baby bottles.

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles formed through the breakdown of solid plastics. Because they are not digestible and extremely small, they accumulate in the body causing potential health issues such as growth and reproductive issues, DNA damage, inflammation, weakened immune systems, and other adverse health consequences. Exposure to even low levels of microplastics early in a child’s life may cause long-term health consequences as they grow older, according to the complaint.

Failure to warn and product liability 

The plaintiffs are accusing Philips of failing to warn the public about their baby bottles’ propensity to leach microplastics into the formula. They contend that these microplastics can be dangerous and lead to health complications later in life.

When a parent buys a baby bottle, they trust that the baby bottle is safe for their child. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to find out that they’ve compromised their child’s health by exposing them to a dangerous chemical.

Philips markets itself as the “Number 1 Bottle Brand” and “BPA FREE”. This leads consumers to believe that its products are the industry standard when it comes to manufacturing baby bottles. But the plaintiffs allege otherwise. They say that the baby bottles are dangerous and can cause long-term health complications for infants who ingest formula from the heated baby bottle.

The “BPA FREE” label on the products refers to Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA has been widely recognized to cause a variety of negative health effects. Consumers have become increasingly aware of the issues surrounding BPA and tend to seek to avoid products that contain BPA.

Philips baby bottles are manufactured with polypropylene. When heated polypropylene can release microplastics into liquids, the class action lawsuit contends. Therefore, every time a parent heats up formula in the microwave using the Philips baby bottle, it leaches microplastics into the formula, potentially resulting in long-term health problems.

Philips claims the bottles can be sterilized by boiling. However, they fail to inform consumers about the presence of the microplastics and the sterilization procedure.

The lawsuit against Philips has been filed in California. It claims that Philips violated California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, Consumers Legal Remedies Act, breach of warranty, and unjust enrichment.

Similar lawsuits have been filed against bottled water companies for packaging their water in containers that could potentially introduce microplastics into a consumer’s system.

Talk to a Florida Product Liability Lawyer Today 

Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of Florida residents who have been exposed to toxic chemicals through the use of a consumer product. If you have suffered injury or potential injury as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals, call our Florida personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

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