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A U.S. judge said several companies including Walmart, Beech-Nut and Gerber must face a nationwide lawsuit claiming that toxic heavy metals contaminated their baby food, causing brain and neurodevelopmental damage to children who ate it. In a decision on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said parents can try to prove that defective manufacturing, negligence and failure to warn about more than 600 baby food products caused their children to suffer autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (Stempel, 4/3)

Workers at one of the nation’s largest baby formula plants say the Abbott Laboratories facility is engaging in unsanitary practices similar to those that led it to temporarily shut down just three years ago, sparking a nationwide formula shortage. Current and former employees told ProPublica that they have seen the plant in Sturgis, Michigan, take shortcuts when cleaning manufacturing equipment and testing for microbes. ... One worker complained to the Food and Drug Administration in February. (Vogell, 4/4)

Scientists are finding microplastics everywhere from brain tissue to arteries and warning of the health risks posed by their buildup inside our bodies. They’re also discovering just how easily the tiny particles get there. Microplastics don’t just shed off of plastic items from overuse, like when a water bottle breaks down over weeks or months of being washed and refilled. They also leach into our food and drinks with even the brief use of a product with plastic components, alarming scientists. (Steinberg and Nguyen, 4/3)

At 40, Keith Krehbiel was a successful political scientist with a distinguished professorship, an award-winning book and a membership at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. But he also was experiencing a tremor and pain in his right hand that later spread to his arm. Two years later, a neurologist confirmed that Krehbiel had Parkinson’s disease. (Kim, 4/3)

Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, died from carbon monoxide poisoning during the family's vacation at an upscale Costa Rican resort, authorities in the country revealed. Authorities conducted a blood test for carbon monoxide and found a saturation level of 64% in the teen's body, Costa Rican officials said. Concentrations above 50% are considered lethal. (Reja, 4/3)