Thousands of Toddler Sippy Cups, Straw Bottles Recalled Due to Risk of Lead Poisoning

Green Sprouts stainless-steel sippy cups, sip & straw cups, and straw Bottles involved in the recall. Green Sprouts Inc.

Thousands of toddler sippy cups and bottles sold in the United States are being recalled due to a possible lead poisoning hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The recall applies to over 10,500 units sold by Green Sprouts, a North Carolina-based maker of reusable baby products. An alert issued by CPSC said the affected products were sold at Whole Foods and Buy Buy Baby stores nationwide, as well as on Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond websites.

“The recalled stainless-steel bottles and cups bottom base can break off, exposing a solder dot that contains lead, posing a lead poisoning hazard to the child,” the CPSC warned. “Lead is toxic if ingested by young children, and can cause adverse health effects.”

The recall involved the company’s Sprout Ware 6-ounce Stainless Steel Sippy Cup, 6-ounce Stainless Steel Sip & Straw Cup, and 8-ounce Stainless Steel Straw Bottle. From January 2020 and September 2022, about 8,917 bottles were sold in the United States, about 340 in Europe, about 144 in Australia, and about 1,165 in the United Arab Emirates.

Green Sprouts stainless-steel sippy cups, sip & straw cups, and straw Bottles involved in the recall. Green Sprouts Inc.

Green Sprouts said it voluntarily recalled its products after six reports of incidents where the base has detached from the bottle body. No injuries have been reported.

“Testing of this component was omitted by the CPSC-approved third party lab because this part of the product is inaccessible under normal use,” the company said on its website. “Had we been aware that a component containing lead in these products could become accessible, we wouldn’t have put them on the market.”

“As we approach the redesign of these products, whose benefits for keeping drinks cold safely have made them a popular choice for parents, we will ensure that lead is not used as a soldering material, no matter whether it would be accessible.”

The hazardous products were manufactured in China, the company said.

The tracking numbers printed at the bottom of the recalled products are 29218V06985, 35719V06985, and 33020V06985. Green Sprout said it is directly contacting all known buyers to offer a refund, and promised to destroy used products returned by consumers.

Lead is poisonous to people regardless of their age or health status, and is especially harmful to infants, young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, and people with chronic health conditions, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). High levels of lead exposure can seriously harm children’s brains and nervous systems. For adults, chronic lead exposure is associated with kidney dysfunction, hypertension, and neurocognitive abnormalities.

Most intentional uses of lead in products and processes are banned in the United States, including the use of lead solder to seal the external seams of metal cans, according to the FDA.