LOS ANGELES, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The California Department of Justice and 10 district attorneys statewide filed a lawsuit against two toddler formula-makers Thursday, accusing their products of exceeding lead levels allowed by authorities.
The Department of Justice said it has found formula "Peaceful Planet," manufactured by Nutraceutical Corp, had 13 times the allowed lead level while "Sammy's Milk," made by Graceleigh, Inc., had 15 times the lead level allowed by both the Food and Drug Administration and California's Proposition 65.
According to the 15-page lawsuit document applied to the Superior Court of the State of California Thursday, the Department of Justice alleges the companies violated California's Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and Proposition 65.
Proposition 65, adopted by California in 1986, "protects the state's drinking water sources from being contaminated with chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, and requires businesses to inform Californians about exposures to such chemicals."
The Department of Justice asked the court to forbid the two toddler formulas to be sold in the Golden State, and asked the two companies to stop introducing them to the state's consumers and pay penalty for the unhealthy products and their misleading advertising.
Formulas containing high lead levels could damage the brain and nervous system, slow growth and development, lead to learning and behavior problems, cause hearing and speech problems, and lower IQ
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the lawsuit at a press conference, saying the levels "are high enough to pose a threat to a child's health."
"Toddler formula should contain nutrients that help children grow, not poisonous substances that can threaten their healthy development. No parent should have to worry that the formula they purchase could endanger their child," he said.
Local CBS 13 news channel reported that the Department of Justice tested the two products which were both purchased within the last few months and the department did not disclose whether it tested other brands or products.
Meanwhile, the state sent cease and desist letters on June 1 to the makers of both "Peaceful Planet" and "Sammy's Milk," asking them to stop selling the products and to recall the formulas currently on the shelves, the report said.
Both companies did voluntarily agree to stop selling the products in California.
