CA Suit Calls 74 Vitamin Makers to Halt Sales

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—Santa Cruz County District Attorney Bob Lee has asked the California court to stop 74 companies from selling their vitamin supplements because the labels do not warn consumers about the lead content. In total, nine California counties have joined the suit started in December 2008 by Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. Some of the 74 companies’ vitamins contain excessive amounts of lead in Food and Drug Administration tests of different multivitamin and mineral products released in July 2008.

The suit alleges the manufacturers failed to comply with the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65. The complaint also seeks penalties of $2,500 a day for each violation.

Proposition 65 requires business to provide a “clear and reasonable warning” before exposing individuals to chemicals know to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Lead is highly toxic, and has been found to be capable of damaging the nervous system, particularly of children, at increasingly lower levels.

For a list of the 74 companies in the suit, click on the link below.