Almost thirty years after flame retardants in children’s clothing were removed because of their carcinogenic nature, new research is pointing out that flame retardants in other products your child uses, like nursing pillows, car seats and highchairs, may have the same problem.
The study didn’t determine whether or not the chemical, chlorinated Tris, was actually being absorbed by children, just that it was available. But, in the article on the study, which has been published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, does suggest that infants who are exposed to these products are being exposed to higher than recommended levels of toxins.
This list of products the study examined included things like changing table pads, sleep positioners, portable mattresses, baby carriers, rocking chairs and highchairs. Many of them contained Tris and other toxic but still legal flame retardants like TCEP, which the State of California describes as a cancer-causing agent and Penta-BDE, a flame retardant that builds up in human tissue and that manufacturers voluntarily phased out in 2004.
“Why do you need fire retardant in a nursing pillow?” Dr. Blum, who is the executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization dealing with toxic products, pointed out to the New York Times. “The whole issue is, they are toxic chemicals that are in our homes at high levels; and right now, people don’t know much about it,” she said.
