Baby sleep gripe water recalled after tests find hidden alcohol
One lot of Babies' Magic Tea Baby Sleep Gripe Water is being recalled after FDA tests found alcohol not listed on the label. The lot number is 25122bw. Parents should stop using it and throw it away or return it for a refund.
Parents who use gripe water to soothe a fussy baby should check their bottles. Pacific Health Sciences is recalling one lot of Babies' Magic Tea brand Baby Sleep Gripe Water after Food and Drug Administration testing found alcohol that was not on the label.
The tests found about 8.3% ethanol, the kind of alcohol in drinks. They also found small amounts of methanol and isopropanol, which is rubbing alcohol. None was listed on the bottle, ABC News reported.
Why is that a concern? The company's notice, posted by the FDA on Wednesday, said these alcohols can affect the brain and nerves. Alcohol exposure in babies has been linked to long-term problems with development. At the amounts listed in the bottle's directions, the notice said, a baby could become drowsy or unsteady, or have nausea, vomiting or stomach pain. Larger amounts could slow breathing.
The company said it has not received any reports of illness or harm so far.
How to tell if you have it: The recalled product comes in a 4-ounce amber bottle inside a blue box, with an oral syringe. The lot number, 25122bw, is printed on the bottom and side of the box. It has a "best before" date of December 2028. Only that one lot is part of the recall.
It was sold online through the Secrets of Tea website and Amazon, KCTV5 reported.
What to do: Stop using it. Throw it away or return it to where you bought it for a refund. If your child had symptoms after taking it, call a doctor. Questions can go to Pacific Health Sciences at (310) 457-1775 or myorder@pacifichealth.com. Problems can also be reported to the FDA's MedWatch program.
What we know: One lot of the gripe water contained undeclared alcohols, and no harm has been reported.
What we don't: How the alcohol got into the product and how many bottles were sold.
Where outlets agree ABC News and KCTV5 both report that one lot, 25122bw, was recalled after testing found about 8.3% ethanol plus methanol and isopropanol not listed on the label.
Where they differ KCTV5 presents the stop-use warning as coming from the FDA, while ABC News attributes the recall and the advice to discard the product to the company, Pacific Health Sciences.