Safest Baby Bottles Sans Lead & Microplastics — Baby Registry Guide

Where are the safest baby bottles without contamination of lead and microplastics? Mamavation partnered with Eric Ritter from Detectlead.com to analyze glass and plastic baby bottles for lead by using XRF analyzer technology, which is the exact instrumentation used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test other types of consumer goods for the presence of lead and other heavy metals. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest baby diapers sans PFAS “forever chemicals,” safest baby mattresses, safest infant formula, & safest salt tested for heavy metals & microplastics, now join us for our latest consumer study on baby bottles and lead.

Disclosure: This consumer study was scientifically reviewed by Linda Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University. Mamavation is reporting on testing done by Eric Ritter from DetectLead.com. We did not commission this testing ourselves. Note that Eric Ritter has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that have not been tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. Affiliate links from this post are mostly to Amazon where Mamavation earns a small portion of that sale. Mamavation uses affiliate revenue and ad revenue from Mamavation.com to pay for testing and fund other consumer investigations in the future. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you for supporting Mamavation! This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN.

Lead Found in the Print of Most Glass Baby Bottles Sold on Amazon

Mamavation partnered with Eric Ritter, a lead-poisoning prevention advocate certified to perform XRF technology analysis & Founder of Detectlead.com, to analyze and evaluate baby bottles made of plastic and glass.

Eric Ritter analyzed 32 baby bottles made from glass and plastic with an X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer to ascertain whether the bottles contained lead. XRF is a non-destructive analytical technique used to determine the heavy metal composition of materials, such as baby bottles. This machine determines the chemistry of a baby bottle by measuring the fluorescent (or secondary) X-ray emitted from the baby bottle when it is excited by a primary X-ray source. Mamavation has done our best to share with you what Eric Ritter found so that if you are concerned about potentially toxic metals located in the print of your baby bottle, you’ll be able to make an educated decision when shopping.

Here’s the main findings from this study:

• 69% of baby bottles tested had detectable lead in the print or design via XRF analyzer technology. That’s 22 detections out of 32 baby bottles.
• 91% of the glass baby bottles tested had detectable lead in the print or design. That’s 22 out of 24 glass baby bottles. (One bottle was glass with silicone outer coating)
• 34% of the baby bottles tested had over 90 ppm lead which is over the Federal legal limit according to the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission for print/ink on baby bottles. That’s 11 out of 32 baby bottles.
• No plastic baby bottles had any detectable lead in the print on the bottle. However, one bottle that was glass with a silicone coating had a detection.
• Ranges of lead found on baby bottles were from 6 ppm to 16,643 ppm. 
• Amounts varied when different types of bottles in a line were tested.
• For some of these bottles lead easily came off the bottle and was transferred onto hands, which could be confirmed by  ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) chemical testing on the spot.

Linda Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University had this to say: “Lead is extremely problematic for the growth and development of young children. Baby bottles with amounts of lead above the federal CPSC limits will need to immediately fix the manufacturing of their bottles to protect babies from exposure to lead.”

Below you can see some of the video that was taken when Eric Ritter did his testing and evaluation.

 

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Lead Was Found to Rub Off on Hands From Leaded Print

One of the most concerning parts of this study was when Eric Ritter tested his hands using chemical ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) after handling the baby bottles and was able to prove that some of the bottles were easily transferring lead to human skin. This would be very problematic if this was happening to a child because of the exposure to lead from dermal contact and if that child (or the caretaker) put their hands into their mouth later.

Eric of DetectLead.com explained, “Not all of these bottles immediately release lead from the decoration onto human skin in amounts detectable using ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection). However, some released significant amounts, and these are the most hazardous to children and adults. Typically the vector for poisoning is dust from paint or soil which gets into areas where it gets inhaled or ingested. A baby bottle creates a potent lead ‘dust’ is better off in the trash than on any shelf wether it be yours or the stores.”

Ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) is a newer method of detecting lead on-the-go. In a recent study testing this method for lead detection, researchers found no false positives or false negatives in the detection of lead. The method requires spraying the material of interest with methylammonium bromide and observing whether photoluminesence occurs under UV light to indicate the presence of lead. According to the study, “The method detects as little as 1.0 ng/mm² of lead by the naked eye and 50 pg/mm² using a digital photo camera.” This is similar to the method to how Eric was able to ascertain whether any bottles were transferring lead to his hands.

Children using bottles with lead paint decorations should have a Blood Lead Level (BLL) test done by their pediatrician just to make sure they are not at risk for lead poisoning.

Health Impacts of Lead for Children

Pediatricians agree that lead presents a dangerous exposure for children because of the many permanent problematic health outcomes according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Here are some of the health outcomes that are linked to lead exposure in children:

• Lower IQ scores
• Underperformance in school
• Developmental delays
• Behavioral issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Hearing and speech problems

Dr. Phillip Landrigan, Director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, has been warning patients about lead since the 1970’s. He says, “The problem is no level of lead is safe. Even low levels, especially if those low levels continue over many months, is going to cause some degree of brain damage at least to some of the children who are exposed.” This does not mean ALL children will have this outcome, but some children absolutely will according to his research.

Even when exposure has stopped, some children (not necessarily all) will have permanent issues. Some studies have found chelation is a way doctors can lower the amount of lead within a child, however, these chelation practices have not been linked to better behavioral outcomes. It’s better to have not been exposed.

How is it Possible to Have This Much Lead on Baby Bottles?

Any paint or coatings intended for children is not allowed to have over 90 ppm lead according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In addition, it also states that all children’s products must not contain more than 100 ppm of total lead content in accessible parts.

Companies selling children’s products are supposed to have their products third party tested before they are sold to the public and issue a Children’s Product Certificate. However, there may be a few loopholes that may be overlooked in this process that doesn’t keep our children safe from lead.

• Variance of Lead in Products Create Opportunity: Because Eric Ritter found some inconsistencies with lead levels in a few bottles and because we have seen some of the “not our favorite” bottles on other sites claiming to be “free” of lead after completing similar XRF testing, we can assume there is some natural variance between these brands and products. It’s possible that brands could only be sending bottles to the third party testing lab that have no detections or low detections in order to pass and produce a Children’s Product Certificate. 
• Third Party Testing isn’t So Independent: The very idea that a “third party lab” financially benefits from testing that is commissioned by a brand showcases how labs become the client of a brand when they are doing testing. When you are a client of a brand, how independent are you really?
• Some Third Party Testing Methods Do Not Protect Children From Exposure: According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, here are the approved third party testing methods to determine whether lead is present and they don’t really protect children from exposure based on how they are done. Here are the available testing methods done in a laboratory setting.
  • CPSC Standard Operating Procedure for Determining Lead (Pb) in Paint and Other Similar Surface Coatings, Test Method CPSC-CH-E1003-09.1 (pdf). This is where a product is digested and ground up into small particles and then a scoop of those particles are tested for lead directly. This means the lead present in the paint or coating is now diluted and exposure potential may not be effectively measured.
  • ASTM F2853-10 “Standard Test Method for Determination of Lead in Paint Layers and Similar Coatings or in Substrates and Homogenous Materials by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry Using Multiple Monochromatic Excitation Beams.”

This video below is of Eric Ritter showing you how problematic the first type of testing allowed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission can be for the safety of children:

 

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How Plastic Breaks Down Over Time & Leaches — Microplastics In Milk

All polymers are made up of additives that can break down and leach microplastics. This happens over time and exposure to certain conditions. A study in 2020 done in Ireland found that infants could ingest up to 4.5 million plastic particles per day when fed from polypropylene baby bottles, which is what most of the plastic baby bottles that are sold in the United States are made of. Polypropylene is reported to make up 82% of the global baby bottle market, with glass bottles being the primary alternative. Co-Author John Bolan said “we were absolutely gobsmacked” by the high number of microplastics produced by the baby bottles.

What can you do to lessen the release of plastic microplastics if you are using plastic baby bottles?

• Never put plastic baby bottles in the dishwasher or microwave. Heat is one of the elements that increases the leaching potential of microplastics.
• Do not wash plastic baby bottles in hot or warm water.
• When the plastic baby bottles start to look old or become somewhat cloudy, replace them immediately. This could mean they are already starting to break down and leach microplastics.

But before you go searching for silicone baby bottles, which are also available, there is more bad news. Not all “food safe” silicone is as safe as claimed by the industry. “Food Safe” Silicone products for the kitchen were also found to contain endocrine disrupting chemicals when studied in 2023. Not all silicone will be safe for babies.

This basically means that the best options for babies to avoid hormone disruption is a glass bottle that does NOT have detectable lead on the print or design above Federal limits of 90 ppm. Mamavation adjusted these recommendations to less than 40 ppm for our “best” ranking, but left the values there so you can see the results of each bottle.

Other Categories of Products Mamavation Has Tested for Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals”

Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the food and consumer products you may bring inside your home. Each one of these studies were done in a similar fashion as this study with brands sent independently to the lab and raw data of those labs at the bottom of the post.

• Soft Contact Lenses
• Green Beauty Makeup
• Lip Balm
• Deodorants
• Condoms & Lubricants
• Dental Floss
• Toilet Paper
• Period Underwear
• Tampons
• Sanitary Pads, Pantiliners, & Incontinence Pads
• Powdered Electrolytes
• Butter Wrappers
• Pasta & Tomato Sauces
• Nut Butters (Peanut butter, etc.)
• Cooking Oils (olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, etc)
• Ketchup
• Activewear (Yoga Pants)
• Sports Bras
• Parchment Paper
• Cupcake Liners
• Plastic-Free Straws
• Fast Food Packaging
• Children’s Probiotics
• Kids’ Backpacks
• Baby Strollers

Mamavation’s Investigation of Baby Bottles

To recap, Mamavation is reporting on an investigation done by Eric Ritter from DetectLead.com whereas he analyzed 32 baby bottles with an XRF analyzer to ascertain if lead was detectable on the products. 91% of glass baby bottles, tested by Eric Ritter of Detectlead.com had detectable lead, whereas at least 34% of baby bottles had lead high enough to issue a recall of the baby bottles.

Eric also used his ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) testing technology to ascertain whether lead was transferring onto human hands during the handling of these baby bottles. This new testing method is now available for purchase by any parent who would like to test their home, school, dinnerware, paint, or any other item that may be presenting dangerous levels of lead into the environment. This chemical testing method uses a proprietary chemical spray and black light to determine whether lead is present. The blacklight makes lead above 500 ppm glow green. We recommend after spraying this spray, you wash it off dinnerware or things that may be touched by children.

Eric Ritter also manufactures a rapid lead test kit with 30 swabs for about $17 that is superior to anything that comes from China. (In fact, the Chinese lead test manufacturers copied his product and are using inferior materials that may cause you to have false positives when you test certain materials for lead. Do you remember that viral video where that mom found her Stanley cup tested for had lead because of the defective chemical swabs she was using? They were very likely from those same Chinese lead test manufacturers.)

Here are all the baby bottles tested and the results that Eric Ritter found:

Not Our Favorite Baby Bottles

These products were tested by an  X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and determined to have detectable lead present. Unfortunately, this type of lead was also easily transferred onto hands during the analysis. This potential hazard could also be happening to babies as they are handling this bottle. A second test was done on another part of the bottle, so amounts may vary.

Over 90 ppm Lead:

• Bobo Natural Glass Baby Bottle with Natural Response Nipple, Newborn Anti-Colic Baby Bottles (yellow) — 12,369 ppm lead, 2nd test 10,919 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• COMI Wide Neck Glass Breastmilk Collection n Storage Bottle (pink) — 4,796 ppm lead, 2nd test 2,827 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• COMI Wide Neck Glass Breastmilk Collection n Storage Bottle (blue) — 2,000 ppm lead, 2nd test 1,987 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• FDBTL Baby Bottle Glass Wide Neck, Closer to Breastfeeding, Slow Flow Nipple — 3,950 ppm lead, 2nd test 3,831 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• Lansinoh Glass Baby Bottles for Breastfeeding Babies, 8 Ounces — 5,605 ppm lead, 2nd test 3,301 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• Nouri Glass Baby Bottle with Silicone Sleeve — 2,126 ppm lead, 2nd test 487 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• Pigeon Glass Nursing Bottle Wide Neck — 4,199 ppm lead, 2nd test 9,201 ppm lead. (2nd Pigeon Bottle tested purchased months ago had no detectable lead so seems to be inconsistency with manufacturing)
• POTATO Glass Baby Bottles, Anti-Colic Breastfeeding Bottles with Fast Flow Nipple — 21,006 ppm lead, 2nd test 21,164 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• Simba Crystal Romance Wide Neck Borosilicate Glass Feeding Bottle — 4,429 ppm lead, 2nd test 10,606 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• Simba Crystal Pink Wide Neck Borosilicate Glass Feeding Bottle — 16,643 ppm lead, 2nd test 14,402 ppm lead. Glass materials.
• Simba Crystal Wide Neck Borosillicate Glass Feeding Bottle sky blue — 7,754 ppm lead, 2nd test 5,287 ppm lead. Glass materials.

Under 90 ppm lead:

• BIBS Bottle Kit – Bottle Kit Color – Part of Set, Baby Blue — 66 ppm lead, 2nd test 62 ppm. Glass materials.
• Bobo Small Natural Glass Baby Bottle with Natural Response Nipple (No decorations) — 18 ppm lead, 2nd test 29 ppm. Glass materials.
• Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Anti-Colic Options+ Narrow Glass Baby Bottle — 7 ppm lead, 2nd test 6 ppm. Glass materials.
• Gulicola Newborn Anti-Colic Bottle Set with Slow Flow Nipple, 0-3 Months, 5 oz — 6 ppm lead, 2nd test 6 ppm. Glass materials.
• Haakaa Gen.3 Natural Glass Baby Bottle — 42 ppm lead, 2nd test 22 ppm. Glass materials.
• HEVEA Wide Neck Glass Baby Bottles – Slow Flow Anti Colic Baby Bottles — 84 ppm lead, 2nd test 71 ppm. Glass materials.
• Potato Short Glass Baby Bottle — 23 ppm lead, 2nd test 38 ppm. Glass materials.

Better Baby Bottles

These products were tested by an  X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and determined to not have detectable lead present. All these bottles were tested 2x to confirm no detectable lead. However, these plastic bottles are made from different types of polymers like silicone or polypropylene, which are likely to leach microplastics and additives over time and exposure, especially when exposed to high fat (naturally from milk) and heat. Do not put these products in the dishwasher or wash with warm water, and NEVER put them in the microwave to lessen exposure.

• Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottles — No detectable lead. Silicone materials.
• Cudlie Disney Baby Girl 11 oz Pack of 2 Baby Bottles, Mickey mouse — No detectable lead. Polypropylene plastic.
• Evenflo Balance Plus 3-Pack Wide Neck Bottles – White, one Size — No detectable lead. Polypropylene plastic.
• Evenflo Feeding Premium Proflo Venting Balance Plus Wide Neck Baby — No detectable lead. ‎Polypropylene plastic.
• MAM Easy Start Anti Colic Baby Bottle Easy Switch Between Breast and Bottle — No detectable lead. Silicone & polypropylene materials.
• Maymom Wide-Mouth Milk Storage Collection Bottle with SureSeal Sealing Disk — No detectable lead. Polypropylene plastic.
• Medela Medium Flow Feeding & Storage Bottles, 3 Pack of 8 Ounce Bottle with Nipple, Lids, Wide Base Collars, and Travel Caps — No detectable lead. Polypropylene plastic.
• Philips AVENT Natural Baby Bottle with Natural Response Nipple, Clear, 4oz — No detectable lead. 80% polypropylene 20% silicone.

Best (ish) Baby Bottles

These products were tested by an  X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and determined to not have detectable lead present in at least one test, then less than 40 ppm in a second test. (Note: Federal limits are 90 ppm for print.) Results may vary because the placement of the XRF testing would be in different places on the bottle. These products would be considered the safest for the baby’s hormonal health.

• MAM Feel Good Glass Baby Bottle — No detectable lead. Glass materials. 2nd test no detectable lead.
• Natursutten Anti-Colic Glass Baby Bottle — No detectable lead. Glass materials. 2nd test 7 ppm lead.
• NUK Simply Natural Glass Bottles — No detectable lead. Glass materials. 2nd test no detectable lead.
• Philips AVENT Glass Natural Baby Bottle with Natural Response Nipple — No detectable lead. Glass materials. 2nd test 33 ppm lead.
• Tomme Tippie Glass Baby Bottle — 13 ppm lead. Glass materials. 2nd test no detectable lead.