November 18, 2022 – Friday
When I got home this evening (Switzerland time – it’s after 7 p.m. here now) I heard from SEVERAL LeadSafeMama.com readers that the link that I had provided earlier (to the recall statement from Green Sprouts and the form to fill out if you had purchased one of these Lead-containing stainless bottles) was no longer an active link (see image below.) I had both captured (date and time-stamped) screen shots of the link and had also copied and transferred the text (verbatim) on my article about the recall (link here.)
Because LeadSafeMama.com readers (and others) want answers (and replacements or refunds) now… I created this post simply to share the contact information that was shared with me by the owner of Green Sprouts (Becky Cannon) in one of the emails she sent me earlier this month (see screenshot of that below). You can read the full email thread here if you are curious about the exchange at all.
Here’s the information for requesting a refund or replacement bottle.
This was emailed to me by Becky on November 8, 2022:
We are asking families to discard any stainless-steel bottles or cups from Green Sprouts, whether the bottle is damaged or not. If the product was purchased, we will gladly offer a refund. If the product was received for free, we will offer a plant-plastic bottle as a replacement. For instructions on receiving a refund or replacement, we are asking consumers to please call 800-876-1574 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or email ContactUs@GreenSprouts.com.
I’m super upset to hear about this recall. We regularly use these stainless steel water bottles and when I read about this, I checked ours and sure enough, the bottom of one of the bottles is missing and the lead sealing dot is exposed. I’m not even sure how long it has been exposed, but my 2 year old twins have definitely been using the bottle this way for at least a few months. How concerned should I be?
Thank you so much for doing this important work.
Hi Emily.
Set your bottles aside in a plastic bag for now.
In my educated opinion the company is downplaying the concern by saying it poses a low risk. I do not agree with that assessment at all – as I specifically worked with a family (years ago) whose baby tested positive after an incident with a similar bottle (from Pura Kiki). The baby had been taking the bottle (with bottom cap removed) and using it to mash down their oatmeal – so they were eating lead-contaminated oatmeal as a result.
Given my experience with a similar Lead-contaminated product I would recommend getting your babies tested immediately (a Blood Lead Level Test – BLL) – especially if they have not been tested recently. Babies are also very likely to play with the indent at the bottom of the bottle (rub it) while they are drinking from the bottle – and then put their fingers in their mouth (so the oatmeal scenario doesn’t have to be replicated for there to be a potential for significant exposure.) Please read this article and get your babies tested right away (Monday? Or event today if possible. As soon as you get your doctor to call in the order to a lab.)
https://tamararubin.com/2021/07/im-concerned-that-my-child-may-have-just-inhaled-potentially-leaded-fireworks-fumes-what-should-i-do/
You may also want to read this article for some background about Lead testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
And this article about how much Lead it takes to poison a child:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/03/the-sugar-packet-analogy-how-much-lead-dust-does-it-take-to-poison-a-child/
Finally – here is a link to a preview screener of my film if you want to do a deep dive into the subject (it’s great background for moving forward, regardless of the circumstances): https://tamararubin.com/2022/10/for-lead-poisoning-prevention-month-october-a-link-to-my-film/
You want to get your babies tested right away because blood lead levels start going down right away upon removal from the source. The goal is not to scare you but to give you science to back any potential concerns and hopefully to RULE OUT any potential exposure.
Tamara
Tamara