Non-Toxic Car Seats: A Much Needed New Study

June 2015 Update: visit our new blog post The Car Seat Dilemma: They Save Lives but Could They Be Making Our Kids Sick?

By far, the post that I have written that has resonated the most, that has been read the most and commented on the most are the two associated with choosing a non-toxic car seat. Clearly, exposing our kids to chemicals like brominated flame retardants on a daily basis, chemicals that have been beyond proven harmful to our children, is something that many parents are whilling to go to lengths to avoid.

One of the biggest frustrations by parents (including myself) looking to buy a new non-toxic car seat is finding companies, which have pledged to remove chemicals from their car seats, who have either not made any changes or have replaced toxic chemicals with new, but just as toxic, chemicals.

For example: in 2012 Graco disclosed that it had indeed removed cancer causing flame retardant chlorinated Tris, but in its place Graco is now using TBBPA... another quite harmful chemical that has been shown to affect thyroid hormone activity.

WHY ARE THESE FLAME RETARDANTS BAD FOR MY KIDS? DON’T I WANT TO PROTECT MY CHILDREN FROM FIRE IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT IN THE CAR?

Yes, to an extent it makes safety sense for a car seat to have flame retardants - in case of an accident you would want your munchkin to be protected from any fire that could break out. However, companies like Orbit Baby have found non - halogenated (i.e. not as toxic) fire retardants that can be used and are just as effective.

The type of fire retardants we want to avoid are brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFRs & CFRs). These are mostly added to plastics and have been associated with thyroid problems, learning and memory impairment, decreased fertility, and behavioral changes.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT CAR SEATS HAVE THE LEAST CHEMICALS IN THEM?

Good luck. It is really hard. Except for a few good companies (see them listed in our post 'Chemical Conscious Parents UPDATE on Non-Toxic Car Seats' ), most major car seat retailers have been really wishy washy and kist not honest about what is in their car seats.

Luckily, the folks at HealthyStuff.org are trying to make the process of choosing a non-toxic and safe car seat much easier for parents. They already have created an online database which ranks popular products and their toxicity levels . Now, they are looking to complete a new study that will test the most popular car seats sold in the US and find out if they have made any changes to their products regarding chemicals used. Finally some answers.

A study like this, however, needs funds. This is why HealthyStuff.org contacted me recently and asked if I could share with you what they are trying to do: they have launched a crowdfunding campaign via IndieGoGo to help fund these tests this summer. For me, its a noble cause. This study will not only help parents know what car seats are exposing their kids to what chemicals, but it will - hopefully- make the manufacturers live up to their promises and force others to take out unnecessary toxic chemicals from their products,

In 2011 over 60% of tested car seats were found to contain at least one known toxic chemical- its definitely time to see what is going on in 2014!

If you are interested in donating to or sharing the campaign , please visit their Indigogo Campaign page today!