Many children's items, including clothing, car seat covers and toys, are treated with flame-resistant chemicals. Since 1953, federal regulations have required any item of sleepwear for children to be flame-resistant. However, concerns over the environmental and health effects of chemical flame retardants prompted the regulations to be revised to allow items to be made with nontreated fabrics that fit snugly.
Purpose
The goal of flame-resistant clothing is to save children's lives by preventing loose clothing from catching fire. The primary concern is the fact that children are not always as careful as they should be around open flames, such as candles and fireplaces. If a child reaches over a candle wearing non-flame-resistant clothing, her sleeve could catch fire, and she could be severely burned. If she is wearing flame-resistant clothing, her sleeve may smolder but would not catch fire unless she held it in the flame for a long period of time. As soon as she removed the fabric from the flame, it would stop burning.
Federal Standards
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Children's Sleepwear Regulations state that all sleepwear sizes 9 months to 14 must be either "tight fitting," according to specific guidelines, or pass flammability tests. Keeping in mind that even flame-resistant clothing will burn, this material alone is not enough to keep your child safe around open flames.
Developmental Effects
In 1977, the flame-retardant chemical tris-BP was banned for use in children's clothing, because it is carcinogenic. It was replaced with a class of chemical flame retardants called PBDEs, which have also raised health and environmental concerns. A recent study led by Julie Herbstman of Columbia University, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, reports that children with higher levels of PBDEs at birth scored lower on IQ and developmental tests than children with less exposure.
Concerns
Newer fire retardants, such as PBDEs, belong to a class of chemicals called halocarbons. They are extremely stable, making them useful for treating clothing. They will not break down when exposed to sunlight, water, detergents or other environmental factors, so the sleepwear will not lose its fire resistance over time. Unfortunately, this stability means that halocarbons that are absorbed into the body or the environment also do not break down. Instead, they build up through repeated exposure. Long-term exposure to these chemicals causes concerns regarding the potential for cancer and other health problems.
Alternatives
Manufacturers are not required to label children's clothing with the precise chemicals used to make the garment flame resistant. The best way to avoid these chemicals is to purchase sleepwear that is labeled "not flame resistant" or "tight fitting" or to purchase 100 percent organic clothing. Organic clothing is not treated with flame-resistant chemicals, and you can buy sleepwear that is designed to be worn snugly instead of being chemically treated. However, if you choose to purchase non-flame-resistant clothing for your child, you must be more vigilant about fire safety.
References
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Children's Sleepwear Regulations
- Environmental Health Perspectives: Prenatal Exposure to PBDEs and Neurodevelopment
- Duke University: Our Flame Retardants Ourselves
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Flammable Fabrics Act
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: CPSC Bans TRIS-Treated Children's Garments
