What is MIL talking about... car seat?

[dewoman81]

Is there a link you have come across that lists the dangerous flame retardant and which car seats have it?

MIL has called me twice to tell me about my car seat causing cancer in dd. What is she talking about? Apparently it was on the early morning news the other day. I cant find much online. Maybe someone here could help me clarify.

[RedheadbyChoice]

Nothing on CNN, so far.

[RedheadbyChoice]

Does your local news have a website? Or was it on one of the main morning programs? Today or the like?

[MammaJill]

I am guessing she watched this (http://http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/19/eveningnews/main4109418.shtml).

I found a site about car seats, vehicles and chemicals. http://www.healthycar.org

Hope that helps.

[RedheadbyChoice]

Your linky is off a bit, jill, there are w 'http://www. in front of it

[RedheadbyChoice]

Okay, I was able to see it. It didn't list any recalls, though. What's the alternative, no car seats? That's not acceptable, either.

[RedheadbyChoice]

Ahhhhhh, the second linky, though, that one was informative.

[dewoman81]

Thank-you. I was searching the internet, but I had no idea what I was searching for. That helps a bit.

[SingingMom]

Let us know what you find. It does seem reasonable to want car seats to be flame-retardant.

I'm struggling with kids' clothing. Kid clothes are required to be flame-retardant (at least, pajamas are) here in California, and it seems so silly to me. My kids are at a very low risk of running into open flame of any kind, as we don't smoke, or even use candles. So it seems unreasonable to fill their clothes with chemicals.

Car seats I can kind of see the justification. I mean, I'd be angry if my kids were burned in a crash because their car seats caught on fire.

[madelsmama]

All car seats have flame retardants in them. Some car seats have more chemicals than others, and there's speculation that higher levels of chemicals are harmful to our wee ones.

[Tufftitty]

There's not only flame retardants in car seats, but in every plastic item in a car including the dash board, foam in the seats, foam in the headrests, I think you get the picture. I'd personally be much more concerned about the chemical loading of VOCs in the car itself rather than the carseat. The US is currently phasing away from the halogenated frs.

There are also flame retardants in the furniture and rigid insulation in your home. I worry a lot more about the formaldehyde that off-gasses from the loose fiberglass insulation in the attic. I also worry about the VOCs that off-gas from paint, adhesives and carpeting in our homes.

Chemicals in carseats just aren't on my radar.

[singin_mama]

I agree with that Tufftitty. There are so many chemicals all around us we just have to do the best we can. I did save that second link though just for future reference.

[madelsmama]

Tufftitty, we are moving into a new home (that was just built) next month, and all of those things have been on my mind.

[Tufftitty]

Madelsmama, I know how you feel. We painted a bathroom, had tile installed and recarpeted a majority of our house when I was pregnant. It made me nervous, but it had to be done, and I sure couldn't deal with it after DS arrived.

Congratulations on your new home, BTW. I would love to build my own home someday.

In order to decrease the amount of VOCs floating around in my house, I make sure to turn on all the ceiling fans, and open the doors and windows periodically. DH did it once this year at the height of pollen season. While I appreciated the effort, I believe it was a little counter productive since I am a highly allergic.