Are they serious? (Chemicals in carseat covers)

I just found this thread, and my personal take on it is that the flame retardants are POPs and freak me out, so I try to avoid them. I always wash a new cover several times and try to let it off-gas a bit before using. I also avoid new cars. BUT I know I am the minority on that one.

If anyone is interested in reading more hard data about flame retardants and other chemicals, there is a great book by Sandra Steingraber called Having Faith: An ecologist's journey to motherhood. (Faith is her daughter's name). It's scary in places, but very real and very informative, and most importantly she's an expert in her field and uses real data. (she doesn't specifically talk about car seats, but flame retardants in general are something she discusses in terms of ecology--also note that she doesn't say that flame retardants do XYand Z to people... it's more like their role in the ecosystem and what they can do, where they turn up, risks, etc. Worth reading for parents IMO. :twocents:

What seems to be missed in all the hoopla about the risks of the flame retardants, specifically in car seats, is that the benefits are real. Children are often seriously injured in vehicle fires, and the flame retardancy helps limit this a great deal. This is a real, documented, proven risk. The potential risk from the fire retardancy itself is NOT proven.

if you want to attempt to remove the fire-retardancy from your home, your children's clothes, or what have you, that's your choice. But when you remove it intentionally from your child's car seat you are allowing fear of a potential risk to increase a very real risk.

i don't see a distinction between "potential" risk and "real" risk in this case. you are suggesting that chemical flame retardants only carry a potential risk while being burned alive in a carseat is a real risk. sure, it's been documented that kids have dies in fiery crashes and it's also been documented that the CFR's (chemical flame retardants) do their job of delaying the onset of ignition of the material. however, where is the hard data that a child has a greater risk of dying in a seat where the excess chemicals have been washed away (washed per the manufacturer's instructions)? it's common sense that the risk is perhaps slightly greater, but that is hard to quantitate and assign an actual risk on. it's also impossible to quantitate the risks of exposure to these chemicals, but it's also common sense that these chemicals pose long-term health risks. i don't think there's any hard data to support either side of the argument.

i'm not arguing that CFRs aren't important, but i AM arguing that the manufacturers (at least those in the US) are using too much of them, in vast excess of what is needed to effectively do the job. this has also been documented. remember that not all laws are created with one interest in mind and you can't always assume laws are there because someone is looking out for YOUR best interests. some laws are also created to support an industry (wink, wink), such as the chemical industry.

oursonend said:

If anyone is interested in reading more hard data about flame retardants and other chemicals, there is a great book by Sandra Steingraber called Having Faith: An ecologist's journey to motherhood. (Faith is her daughter's name).

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I was privileged to have her as a guest lecturer for Children's Lit class a couple of years ago. She is a WONDERFUL speaker and writer. Her books are educational, but in a way that is so very funny and accessible. She is absolutely amazing. I have Having Faith, her descriptions of giving birth and breast feeding will leave you rolling on the floor in laughter.

This reminds me, she wrote a book of poems I want to buy.

southpawboston said:

i'm not arguing that CFRs aren't important, but i AM arguing that the manufacturers (at least those in the US) are using too much of them, in vast excess of what is needed to effectively do the job. this has also been documented. remember that not all laws are created with one interest in mind and you can't always assume laws are there because someone is looking out for YOUR best interests. some laws are also created to support an industry (wink, wink), such as the chemical industry.

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While that may be true, we KNOW for a fact that the LACK of fire retardants in cars kill.