Lead in Vitamins: How to Pick a Vitamin that is Most Likely to be Lead Free

Isn’t that crazy? I can’t write the title of this post as “lead free vitamins”, because none of them can be definitively described as lead free. And I know, no one is lead free, lead is in our foods in small amounts. But it is still simply astounding to me that lead is in vitamins.

Since my post about lead in vitamins, I’ve been searching for vitamins that are most likely to be lead free. I haven’t found much. I did find this great post from Healthy Child, Healthy World from the ever informative Janelle Sorensen. She found a source that outlines steps to buying a safer vitamin.

“Here are some steps you can take to help you pick a better product, says David Schardt, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group in Washington, D.C. He recommends:

• » See also: The Joy of Green Cleaning by Leslie Reichert
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• Choosing well-known mainstream brands by companies that have a lot at stake.
• Buying from large, trusted retailers, not unknown sellers on the Internet.
• Looking on the bottle for a stamp from USP, NSF or ConsumerLab.com. While the stamp doesn’t guarantee the product is safe and effective, it does indicate that the manufacturer has submitted the product for testing to show that it contains what is stated on the label.
• Not spending a fortune on vitamins. Pricey products toting all sorts of “extras” aren’t necessary and may be trouble.”

So, does one buy Flinstones Complete because they are a mainstream brand, but probably contain some dyes and sugar? Or the more natural brands from the natural food stores that there isn’t much information about?

Alisha over at Uber Parents sheds some light on this in her recent post about searching for a lead free prenatal vitamin. She did some research and emailed one of her favorite companies. The post is compelling about how low levels of lead are unavoidable in vitamins, and how she has decided to not let it bother her.

I’m glad for this information, but I am still unsure what to do. Recent reports about vitamin D really make me want to be giving a vitamin to my two girls, but at this point, I am unsure. What about you, readers? Do you give your child a vitamin? How did you make your choice? I hope some of these guidelines help in your selection.

image: Healthy Child, Healthy World

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