Topline Philips North America and Handi-Craft Company—the parent company of Dr. Brown’s Baby—are being sued in separate lawsuits filed Tuesday over claims that the “BPA free” labels on their baby bottles mislead consumers into thinking their products are free of harmful chemicals, though the suits allege toxic microplastics are released when their bottles are heated up. Mother feeding a baby with a bottle.
Key Facts California-based Clarkson Law Firm filed class action suits against Philips North America and Handi-Craft Company, alleging the companies failed to properly warn caregivers and parents that their bottles and baby cups allegedly seep harmful chemicals into food when heated. The suits—shared with Forbes—claim the manufacturers misled consumers by not disclosing on their labels or packaging that the material their bottles are made from, which is the microplastic polypropylene, can seep into food or drinks when heated. Though the chemical isn’t disclosed on the packaging, both Philips and Dr.
Brown’s Baby disclose their bottles are made of polypropylene on their websites. The suits referenced several studies that found even exposure to low doses of microplastics in infants and children poses significant dangers, including negatively impacting the digestive, immune, reproductive, central nervous and circulatory systems. The products are marketed as BPA free, and this label allegedly further misleads consumers because it gives consumers a false sense o.