Naptime Nightmares? Toxic Flame Retardants in Child Care Nap Mats
Author:
Caroline Cox
Date Published:
2/2013
Description:
This toxic exposure occurs because chemical flame retardants are frequently added to foam. At first glance, this concept can seem to make some sense - foam burns easily. However, the concept does not translate to reality. In fact, government studies have shown that flame retardants in foam-containing products
do not improve fire safety as they are typically used.
In addition, many chemical flame retardants are toxic. Some have been linked to serious health problems like cancer, obesity, and allergies. There is little publicly available information about the safety of others.
Flame retardants used in everyday products, including nap mats, are typically secrets – the chemicals used to treat foam are not identified on product labels or elsewhere.
We found that 22 out of the 24 foam-containing nap mats we tested had been treated with at least one chemical flame retardant. Nineteen of our 24 nap mats had been treated with two or more flame retardant chemicals. Nine of the mats contain chlorinated Tris, a cancer-causing chemical that was removed from children’s pajamas more than 30 years ago because it caused genetic damage.
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