Philips Avent Lawsuit, Dr. Brown’s Lawsuit: Baby Bottles and Cups Leach Microplastics, Class Action Cases Allege

The makers of Philips Avent and Dr. Brown’s baby bottles and sippy cups each face a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the products, unbeknownst to parents and caregivers, leach harmful microplastics directly into the food and drink consumed by infants and toddlers.

The 48-page Philips Avent lawsuit alleges Philips North America, despite being well aware of parents’ “well-founded” fears regarding product safety, recklessly and deceitfully marketed its Philips Avent baby bottles, trainer cups and spout/sippy cups as suitable for babies and young children. The 47-page Dr. Brown’s lawsuit against manufacturer Handi-Craft Company rings similar, alleging the company has “duped consumers out of millions of dollars” by falsely advertising products that could expose children to dangerous microplastics as safe.

“This disregard for society’s most vulnerable members has placed the health and welfare of millions of children in jeopardy…,” each proposed class action states. “Defendant has, in effect, callously brought to life every parent’s worst nightmare: unknowingly exposing their children to harm with a product they reasonably believed was safe.”

The Dr. Brown's bottles lawsuit and Philips Avent bottles lawsuit, each filed in California on June 25, allege respectively that Philips and Handi-Craft have failed to warn the public that the polypropylene plastic bottles and sippy cups, when heated as intended (such as for sterilization and formula preparation with warm water), release high quantities of microplastics. The cases stress that the labels and packaging of the Philips Avent and Dr. Brown’s products at issue (listed below) lack any warning about the items’ propensity to leach microplastics or the long-term health problems associated with microplastics consumption, which, for children, may include digestive, immune system and reproductive system issues.

Overall, Philips and Handi-Craft’s failure to warn that their Avent and Dr. Brown’s bottles and sippy cups pose a risk of harm leads reasonable consumers to incorrectly believe the products are perfectly safe, while the companies increase profits and gain an unfair leg up on competitors with their misleading advertising, the baby bottle lawsuits allege.

Microplastics pose serious health risks, especially to children, class actions stress

According to the suit against Philips, the Avent bottles and sippy cups are labeled as the “No. 1 Bottle Brand,” which conveys to consumers that the products are “industry leading” and pose no risk of harm when used as intended with children. The products are also labeled as “BPA Free,” indicating to consumers that the items are free from Bisphenol A, a chemical that’s used to make polycarbonate plastics and known to leach into food and drink, especially when heated, the complaint relays. This claim further “lull[s] consumers into a false sense of security.”

Similarly, the Dr. Brown’s bottles are touted as “#1 Pediatrician Recommended” and “BPA Free,” the case against Handi-Craft says.

According to the class action lawsuit against each company, however, the Philips Avent and Dr. Brown’s bottles leach harmful microplastics, minuscule plastic particles less than five millimeters in diameter that form as a result of the breakdown of solid plastics due to abrasion, degradation and/or chemical processes, such as the exposure to heat.

These tiny plastic particles can wreak havoc on human health, the cases stress.

Studies show that microplastics alter the composition of gut microbiota, which play a crucial role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune system development. Furthermore, microplastics ‘produc[e] a toxic effect on the digestive tract,’ that cause irreversible changes in the reproductive axis and central nervous system of offspring after prenatal and neonatal exposure, affect the immune system due to their physicochemical properties, and can cause chronic pulmonary disease.”

Compounding matters is the fact that microplastics, due to their small size, can bioaccumulate, which can impact growth and reproduction, as well as cause “DNA damage due to oxidative stress, inflammation, physical stress, weakened immunity, histological damage, or even death,” the lawsuits share.

Crucially, the dangers of microplastic consumption are “particularly severe” for infants, as early encounters with the synthetic particles during critical periods of development can “pave the way for chronic health conditions that can manifest over a lifetime,” the complaints read.

Exposure to even low doses of microplastics during a child’s early development may cause long-term health complications later in life. Experts in microplastics warn that infants, with their entire lives ahead of them, face a heightened risk of developing lifelong ailments due to their prolonged exposure to microplastics starting from such a young age.”

Which Avent and Dr. Brown’s baby bottles and sippy cups are mentioned in the class action lawsuit?

The complaint against Philips claims the following products, and potentially others, in various pack sizes and ounce measurements, leach harmful microplastics:

The proposed class action against Handi-Craft claims the following Dr. Brown’s products also leach microplastics into food and beverages:

According to each lawsuit, the above-listed products—essential feeding devices intended for daily and constant use—are made of polypropylene plastic. Neither Philips nor Handi-Craft warn consumers that the polypropylene bottles “release microplastics with values as high as 16,200,000 particles per litre [sic]” or that sterilization and exposure to high temperatures “significantly increase” the release of microplastics, the cases allege.

“This constant, repeated exposure to the Products significantly amplifies the risk posed by the microplastics they leach,” the filings say.

Specifically, the complaints relay that heating polypropylene releases “13.5% to 67.5% more microplastics” into liquids at 140 degrees Fahrenheit than it does into liquids at 41 degrees. Current research shows that toddlers who consume microwaved dairy products from polypropylene plastic containers can intake “up to 22.1 ng/kg [a] day of microplastics,” while another study found that a single infant’s microplastic consumption via polypropylene bottles ranges from “14,600 to as high as 4,550,000 particles per day,” the suits state.

Who do the Dr. Brown’s and Philips Avent microplastics lawsuits look to cover?

The Philips Avent lawsuit looks to cover all United States residents who, within the applicable statute of limitations period and for reasons other than resale, bought any of the Philips Avent bottles and cups listed on this page, with the products’ labels and/or packaging lacking any warning that, when heated as intended for use, they can leach harmful microplastics that can cause long-term health complications for children.

Similarly, the Handi-Craft Dr. Brown’s lawsuit aims to represent all U.S. residents who, within the applicable statute of limitations period and for purposes other than resale, bought any of the Dr. Brown’s bottles listed on this page, with the items’ labels and/or packaging lacking any warning that the bottles, when heated as intended for use, leach harmful microplastics that can cause long-term health issues for children.

I’ve bought Philips Avent and/or Dr. Brown’s bottles and cups. How do I join the lawsuit?

When a new class action lawsuit is initially filed, there’s nothing you need to do to join, sign up for, or add your name to the suit. It’s usually only in the event of a class action lawsuit settlement that the people covered by the case, known as class members, need to act. This typically involves filling out and filing a claim form online or by mail.

For now, Philips Avent and Dr. Brown’s buyers should sit tight and stay informed by signing up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.

Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.