Costco being sued for toxic chemicals in its baby wipes

POOLER, Ga. (WSAV) – Many people shop at Costco for deals on items like electronics, furniture, appliances, food, drinks and baby wipes.

However, the company’s Kirkland baby wipes has landed it in a class action lawsuit.

Larisa Bullard and Mila Corrigan filed a class action lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corp. and Nice-Pak Products Inc., the manufacturer of the wipes, claiming Costco marketed and sold Kirkland-branded fragrance-free baby wipes containing unsafe levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) PFAS are chemicals that resist grease, oil, water, and heat. They were first used in the 1940’s and are now in hundreds of products including stain- and water-resistant fabrics and carpeting, cleaning products, paints, and fire-fighting foams.

The FDA says exposure to some types of PFAS have been linked to serious health effects.

The complaint says, “Direct PFAS exposure to infants and babies from defendant’s wipes pose a health risk, the likes of which plaintiffs and class members sought to avoid by purchasing defendant’s plant-based, natural-material, toxin-free products for their babies,” the complaint says.

The complaint also says, “PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals known to be harmful to children. Because PFAS persist and accumulate over time, they are harmful even at very low levels. Indeed, laboratory studies have shown a number of PFAS-linked toxicological effects and have been associated with thyroid disorders, immunotoxin effects, and various cancers.”

According to Bullard and Corrigan, their counsel investigated Kirkland baby wipes independently through a U.S. Department of Defense laboratory and found unsafe levels of PFAS.