Thu Aug 4, 2011 10:14AM GMT
Many of child car safety seats contain hazardous and toxic chemicals including flame retardants and heavy metal allergens, a study reveals.
Researchers of a nonprofit environmental organization investigated more than 150 children's car seats on US markets. Their findings showed that more than 60 percent of those seats contained "chemicals of concern" such as bromine-containing flame retardants, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), lead, and heavy metal allergens.
Previous studies have suggested that brominated flame retardants can permanently affect brain development and increase infertility risk. PVC has also been classified by the US Environmental Protection Administration as a known human carcinogen.
The new investigation showed that brominated flame retardants were present in 44 percent of the examined car seats, said researchers of a project of the Michigan-based non-profit Ecology Center.
This is the fourth time that the group has tested car seats, and despite the alarming levels of traced toxic chemicals, the latest results show improvements.
In 2009, 63 percent of the car seats contained brominated flame retardants. The average ranking of car safety seats has improved by 64 percent since 2009, noted the report that suggested a lot more has to be done to prevent exposure to these chemicals and not just reducing the levels.
"The important things for folks to understand, in terms of exposure, is we have this wide range of consumer products that are going to have these chemicals in them," ," said Jeff Gearhart, the research director for healthystuff.org.
"It's important for folks to use common sense," he said. "We think these findings are important and raise cause for concern. But we want folks to realize you need to take practical steps where you can, and you can't eliminate all of these hazards in one fell swoop."
However, the researchers warned that concerns about the chemicals should not lead parents to stop using safely seats for carrying their children.
"Car seats are a safety device," Gearhart warned. "Parents should use a car seat regardless of what our tests show. None of the results of our findings mean you shouldn't have a car seat, even if that car seat is the poorest one we tested."
The researchers have expressed hope that their findings might lead to more industry changes, whether the industry changes on its own, or because of consumer demand.
SJM/GHN
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