Outing the Toxics in Our High Chairs

Baby products throughout the United States are saturated with toxic flame retardants, and it is going to stay that way if the bromine industry has its way. Parents would be outraged if they were aware. Because of an antiquated California flammability standard, California Technical Bulleting 117 (TB117), the foam in children's products such as portable cribs, bassinets, strollers, playpens, swings, nursing pillows, high chairs and toddler chairs are infused with toxic flame retardant chemicals.

These chemicals leach into dust, pets, humans, and the environment. Worst of all, they end up in our children. Californians have the highest body burdens in the world of pentaBDE, a potent endocrine disrupting toxic chemical which is a flame retardant. Now our babies are born with these chemicals in their bodies and get a further dose from their mother's milk and exposure to baby products. Research shows that the levels of this chemical in toddlers' bodies is three times that of their mothers.

These chemicals are almost certainly harmful to human health. In animal studies in multiples species, they cause cancer, neurological impairments like hyperactivity, reproductive problems like lower sperm count, microtestes, thyroid problems, and endocrine disruption.

In Sacramento, playing out on a stage that is largely invisible, SB772, a new bill to get these toxic flame retardants out of baby products, is struggling to stay afloat. Far from the media spotlight, the chemical industry has far too much influence for my comfort. MomsRising.org, the Green Science Policy Institute, Friends of the Earth and a number of concerned environmental organizations are supporting this important bill in a David and Goliath-like fight against the cynical attacks of a profit-driven and self-serving chemical industry.

On Tuesday, SB772 passed out of the Senate Environmental Committee by the skin of its teeth. Supporters of the bill had believed the Committee would vote unanimously for this bill. A close vote wasn't expected. The dynamics changed when the bromine industry funded front group, "Citizens for Fire Safety," brought a half dozen sympathetic-sounding spokespeople to the hearing to speak against the legislation, portraying the legislation as reducing children's fire protection and charging that it would disproportionately harm communities of color. This is patently untrue.

The fact is that it is unconscionable to expose babies to these chemicals -- especially since the 12-second flame resistance provided by these toxic chemicals has shown no measurable benefit in terms of actual fire protection. The baby products in question do not constitute a fire hazard, but they do constitute a serious health hazard when toxic chemicals are unnecessarily added. We have to change that, and we can if we shine a bright light on the dishonest and disingenuous campaign the bromine industry is waging against us and our children!

Comments

[kirstenf]

Ok, if you are not already outraged by the article above, here is more.....
The Penta formula has been phased out, and instead of finding other solutions, or changing the standard they substituted a different formula, I believe it is a chlorinated fire retardant that was formally banned as dangerous from children's sleepwear.
Levels through out USA in mother's milk are 10 times the level in EU mother's milk.
This class of chemicals is in the fatty tissue of dolphins, killer whales, ospreys, polar bears---- basically every top predator in the globe. And who is the very top of the food chain? Us.
Levels in marine mammals increase if that animal is found close to a human population center.
Behavioral changes statistically linked to high levels of flame retardants in animals include, lack of organized behavior (decreased feeding and parenting behaviors), increased obesity.

[Maxine Mitchell]

Wow! This one is a shocker. I'm surprised because all this is new to me. How could I have not known about these lurking toxins? It's frightening because I'm the proverbial watchdog; the mother who reads everything (and I mean everything!) related to child safety. I've done endless research on SIDS and the benefits of breastfeeding and have already baby-proofed parts of my home (and my 4 month old can't even crawl yet).

I'll bet that like me thousands of mothers had no idea that the bromine industry was this devious. Big thanks to MOMSRising for sharing this and for being a true advocate for moms and children. I am in full support of SB772, and I'll do my part in spreading the word.

Thanks again, now I see my son's crib mattress, bassinet, stroller, playpen, swing, and high chair in a whole new light.

Maxine "Xyler's-Mommy" Mitchell,
Acct Coordinator, Pro-Media Communications

[Lesscancer]

Keep up the good work!

Bill Couzens, Founder Less Cancer

[noneIn2008]

Interesting to see the ploys used to raise money. But, if it works for you, keep it up.

[RHolober]

SB 772 faces another critical vote on Tuesday July 7 in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. We need help in contacting committee members urging their support. You can take action at: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5141/t/3217/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2778

Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
www.consumercal.org

[weems]

Moveon.org contacts me two or three times a week, it seems, wanting some action or money. Have you ever tried contacting them? Have you ever had a local issue that needed support and think that other moveon.org members in your area might help fight? It is a shame that they think the only policies that need to be addressed are in D.C. MOVEON needs to think locally, too. Wake up!!
Now, with that being said, we need to stop poisoning our children. Some scientists say the cause of the fall of Rome was due to lead poisoning . For once, could we manage to make things that don't kill us, give us cancer, make our brains not work, etc...

[ADP4]

As a woman of color, I am especially concerned about our communities that are backing the chemical industry. We are being duped by companies that want to use us to push their toxic products.

The article states "12-second flame resistance provided by these toxic chemicals has shown no measurable benefit in terms of actual fire protection." I called one of these organic mattress companies *that use no flame retardants*, and I asked how their products perform. They told me that they wouldn't be able to sell their mattresses if they didn't pass the flame test-- and that the fire marshal had administered the test himself.

That, plus the fact that my state, CA, is the only one required to have these chemicals but has no better results in fire protection than other states, convinces me that the agenda is being set by chemical companies, not out of a fact-based concern for our communities, but only to raise their own profits.

[RHolober]

Communities of color DO NOT support the toxic chemical industry. Certain individuals and phony organizations that are for sale are being paraded around by Albemarle, Chemtura and their front group, Citizens for Fire Safety, but they don't fool anyone.

It's standard practice in Sacramento for corporate interests to play the race card to confuse the issue and shift attention away from the harm they cause, and more importantly, to provide cover for some of the "Business Democrats" in Sacramento, so they can say they voted in accord with "my people". Everyone that spends time in Sacramento understands this charade.
The problem is that the news rarely exposes this tired tactic.

[EArndorfer]

Thank you for this important article. We need to change things -- now!

[Lobelia]

Don't forget crib mattresses. One of the most significant exposures to these toxins is the many hours a baby spends on a mattress...you can feed organic baby food and yet overlook what your infant is breathing in and what toxins s/he's absorbing through the skin for nearly half the time. Newborn brains are the most vulnerable to off-gassing chemicals and pesticide residues, and there is widespread belief that autism and other developmental disorders may have to do with the chemical load our bodies have absorbed.

Full disclosure: I work for an organic mattress company where we make mattresses (including a crib mattress) of natural materials. Try researching "natural latex mattresses" or "organic mattress" if you're a parent concerned about these exposures. A mattress core of natural latex rubber, and a casing made of certified organic cotton fabric quilted with certified organic wool...is the safest combination you can find.

[RMankovitz]

Bromine is also found in many adult mattresses. Check the brand and model number to see if you have indeed avoided this poison in your bed.

Even worse, bromine is in most carpeting, where babies spend a lot of time crawling around. Vetinarians have now found a link between feline hyperthyroidism and the bromine in the carpeting they walk on. Use Google Scholar to search: cat hyperthyroid bromine . Cats may be the canary in the coalmine when it comes to warning parents about carpet risks to their children.

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[zaz33]

So many problems going un-solved because of special interest money.

So many new problems being created by special interests.

In this case it's science gone wild and no one can be completly safe.

[darker]

US Congress knows that anything that helps DOW and MONSANTO sell CHEMICALS
is great for their RE-ELECTION campaign finances.

American babies be damned! hahaha.

[michaelgreen]

For the bromine industry, this issue is about increasing market share, not protecting children from fire. That is why they are using a front group and a PR firm (www.jcipr.com) to pitch their arguments.

The level of cynicism required to use the fear of fire to convince elected officials and the public that we should expose our children to such toxic chemicals is astounding.

Only California requires the use of these chemical flame retardants, which explains why Californians have the highest levels of them in our blood and breast milk in the world. They are linked to cancer, neurological and reproductive problems, birth defects and learning disorders. Many of these fire retardants accumulate up the food chain. Developing fetuses and young children are the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, injury and deaths from fires is no higher in other states, even though these chemicals are not required.

Thank you to MOMS Rising and others for protecting us from these cynical corporations and the toxic chemicals that they sell.

Michael Green
Center for Environmental Health

[RMankovitz]

As I sit in my office chair (bromine) and type on my keyboard (bromine) in front of my computer (bromine), it is a reminder that bromine flame retardants are in virtually every commercial product containing plastic or fabric - drapes, pajamas, bedding, cell phones, sofas, chairs, pillows, etc.

As a research scientist, I have written several books on illness prevention, including chapters on the detoxification of toxic halides, of which bromine/bromides are ever present. They are used as a dough conditioner in bread, and are an ingredient (brominated vegetable oil) in some soft drinks.

One of their biggest impacts on the human body is the interference with iodine uptake. Iodine is an essential mineral needed by the thyroid and other glands. In women, the breasts and ovaries are also large users. Tests of several thousand women show virtually all are iodine deficient, leading to thyroid disorders, fibrocystic breasts, PCOS, and other hormonal disruptions. Bromides are neurotoxic, leading to a wide variety of nervous system disorders.

A small group of scientists and MDs have conducted research showing inorganic iodine/iodide supplementation can displace bromine from cells of the body, and force its excretion, ultimately detoxifying the body and reversing ill effects.

For details on this research, see the book "Iodine, Why You Need it, Why You Can't Live Without It," by David Brownstein, MD. I also cover the subject in some depth in my books "The Wellness Project" and "Nature's Detox Plan."

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[GardenerNorCal]

How sad that big business can control the toxic substances we expose our children to. I suggest we all build our own and let their crap gather dust on the shelves.