A class-action suit alleges that Nature Made, owned by Pharmavite LLC, exposed unsuspecting pregnant and lactating women to prenatal supplements containing toxic chemicals linked to birth defects and other health complications.
What's happening?
As detailed by ClassAction.org, the lawsuit alleges that Nature Made misled pregnant and lactating women to believe its prenatal vitamin products, including Prenatal Multivitamin Folic Acid + DHA Softgels, were safe for their fetuses, newborns, and infants.
A 2024 report by independent research project PlasticList found that several products from the popular vitamin and supplement brand contained unsafe levels of synthetic chemicals used to manufacture plastic, such as phthalates and bisphenol A.
"These findings contradict Defendant's prominent front-label representations that the Products 'Support the development of baby's brain, eyes & nervous system,'" the lawsuit reads, adding they also contradicted marketing claims of products being "healthful and carefully developed."
The plaintiffs, who filed the suit in California, say they would not have purchased Nature Made supplements if they had any reason to believe they contained unsafe levels of toxic chemicals.
"Expecting parents place a high value and price premium on supplements that are free of such substances, as Defendant knows," the suit says.
Why is this important?
Our reliance on plastic packaging appears to be doing more than sullying otherwise pristine recreation areas and contaminating ecosystems, though that would be reason enough to reconsider our relationship with the dirty fuel-based materials. It is also threatening public health.
As the suit notes, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate — one of the chemicals allegedly present in the supplements — is an endocrine disruptor associated with a range of fertility complications, including low birth weight, pregnancy loss, and early menopause. The Environmental Protection Agency lists DEHP as a probable human carcinogen.
BPA is another known endocrine disruptor connected to "adverse perinatal" outcomes as well as cancer, metabolic disease, and other health issues.
What's being done about this?
While consumers may be more aware of high-profile food recalls involving large pieces of plastic, research indicates the chemicals used to make plastics are sneaky contaminants, able to leach into surrounding surfaces. The lawsuit suggests Nature Made may have had this issue.
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Majorly 😥 "Physicians, researchers, and public health experts have called for the elimination of phthalates and bisphenols from consumer products, including food packaging and materials that come in contact with food, due to their adverse effects on neurological development," it says.
You can make your voice heard on these issues by contacting your representatives and supporting brands that rely on plastic-free packaging.
The plaintiffs are seeking punitive, compensatory, and statutory damages for themselves and all U.S. residents who bought Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin Folic Acid + DHA Softgels and similar products during the applicable statute of limitations.
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