DC and Marvel comic-themed baby and toddler bibs are contaminated with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, leaving kids exposed to carcinogens that can easily be ingested, a new California lawsuit alleges.
Among others, the suit names the bibs’ US producer and Amazon as defendants. Under Proposition 65, products sold in California that contain PFOA, a highly toxic PFAS compound that was phased out of production in the US, must at a minimum contain a warning.
Even tiny amounts of PFOA can remain in the body for decades and be “detrimental” to kids, said Vineet Dubey, the suit’s lead attorney.
“If you’re exposed as an infant … then it is in your body, causing trouble, causing cancer, causing reproductive harm for the first 30 to 40 years,” he said. Dubey brought the suit on behalf of Ecological Alliance, a consumer protection company that litigates Proposition 65 violations.
PFAS are a class of more than 15,000 compounds typically used across dozens of industries to make products water-, stain- or heat-resistant. They are in everyday consumer products such as stain guards, cookware and waterproof clothing. The compounds are linked to cancer, birth defects, liver disease, thyroid problems, decreased immunity, hormone disruption and a range of other serious health issues.
The suit alleges the bibs were made in China and imported by Bumkins Finer Baby Products, which makes a wide range of kids products, though it is unclear if it is the only to produce DC- and Marvel-themed bibs.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The bibs present a risk because kids could ingest the chemicals via food that comes in contact with the bib, by putting their hands in their mouths after rubbing them on the bib, and by direct oral contact such as licking, gumming or teething the bib. The bibs are also designed with a big pocket to catch falling food the child can then eat.
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Dubey called the bibs’ marketing “deceptive and nefarious” because its labels claim the product is “safety tested to meet or exceed all regulations”, “100% polyester” and free from a list of toxic chemicals. The company’s website contradicts the claim, listing thermoplastic urethane, a material known to be made with PFOA and other PFAS, the suit charges.
It asks the court to prohibit Bumkins from selling the bibs until a warning is placed on the label, and Dubey is hopeful Bumkins will reformulate the bib so it does not contain PFAS.