Brain-harming chemicals released from mattresses while children sleep, study says

(CNN) — Babies’ and children’s mattresses and bedding emit toxic chemicals and flame retardants associated with developmental and hormonal disorders, according to two new studies.

“We measured chemicals in the air of 25 children’s bedrooms between the ages of 6 months and 4 years and found worrisome levels of more than two dozen phthalates, flame retardants and UV filters,” said senior study author Miriam Diamond, a professor in the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Toronto.

The highest levels of the chemicals were found near the children’s beds, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

To check why, a companion study by Diamond’s team tested 16 new children’s mattresses and found those to be a key source of the exposure. Then, using a simulation, the team found that the warmth and weight of the sleeping child could increase the off-gassing of the toxicants.

“They found that even something as simple as a child’s body heat and weight on a mattress can increase the release of toxic chemicals into the air they breathe while sleeping – a factor that current safety standards don’t consider,” said Jane Houlihan, research director for Healthy Babies, Bright Futures, an alliance of nonprofits, scientists and donors dedicated to reducing babies’ exposures to neurotoxic chemicals. She was not involved in the new research.

The study did not include brand names, but the researchers told CNN that they were well-known, lower-cost mattresses found at leading retail stores. Tested mattresses were purchased in Canada, but they contained materials from the United States and Mexico. Therefore, the results are likely to apply to mattresses purchased throughout North America, Diamond said.

“The results show that parents can’t shop their way out of the problem,” Houlihan said in an email. “The mattresses tested emitted toxic chemicals regardless of their price, materials, or country of origin. And some contained additives above legal limits.”

The American Chemistry Council, which represents the US chemical, plastic and chlorine industry, told CNN via email that its members take safety seriously.

“The use of flame retardant chemistries can be critical in situations where an accidental spark or short-circuited wire turns into a flame,” said Tom Flanagin, the group’s senior director of product communications. “While we will need time to review the study in detail, the mere presence of a chemistry is not an indication of risk or adverse effect. Today, any chemistry introduced or imported into the U.S. must undergo rigorous review and approval processes by federal agencies, such as EPA and FDA.”

Dangerous chemicals in many consumer products

Phthalates – found in hundreds of consumer products such as food storage containers, shampoo, makeup, perfume and children’s toys – are known to interfere with the body’s mechanism for hormone production, known as the endocrine system. In addition, they are linked with early puberty, reproductive issues and genital defects, hormone issues and other problems, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

“Our study we found high levels of phthalates that are restricted in toys but not in mattresses,” Diamond said.

Even small hormonal disruptions can cause “significant developmental and biological effects,” the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences states on its website. Children are especially vulnerable to the disruptive impact of chemicals due to their rapidly developing brains and bodies.

Research has connected phthalates with reproductive problems, such as genital malformations and undescended testes in baby boys and lower sperm counts and testosterone levels in adult males. Studies have also linked phthalates to childhood obesity, asthma, cardiovascular issues, premature deaths and cancer.

Banned flame retardants

One well-studied type of flame retardant called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, is the “greatest contributor to intellectual disability” in children, resulting in a total loss of “162 million IQ points and over 738,000 cases of intellectual disability” between 2001 and 2016, according to a January 2020 study.

Some of the PBDE flame retardants were banned by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2012, but replacements have been introduced. One of those, called organophosphate ester, or OPFRs, was measured in the new research. These chemicals have also been linked to reproductive, developmental and nervous system disruption in toddlers.

“OPFRs are now being used in large volumes, are sufficiently persistent to be detected globally, present health hazards, and may cause harm to humans, especially children, at current exposure levels,” Diamond and her colleagues wrote in an October 2019 study.

One mattress had 1,700 parts per million of an organophosphate ester called TDCPP, a known carcinogen according to the National Library of Medicine Pub Chem website. Another had 1,600 parts per million, Diamond said.

One mattress had a certified label stating that the materials complied with current regulations, Diamond said. Yet the study found that it contained 1,800 parts per million of pentachlorothiophenol, or PCTP, one of five flame retardants banned by the EPA.

One flame retardant is illegal in Canada but was found in a mattress and has been banned in children’s sleepwear in the US.

In some states, such as California with its passage of Prop 65, regulators have put additional limitations in place on products marketed for children, but no national law covering classes of flame retardants exists, despite a 2017 report by the US Consumer Products Safety Commission on the dangers of organophosphate esters.

“It’s concerning that these chemicals are still being found in children’s mattresses even though we know they have no proven fire-safety benefit and aren’t needed to comply with flammability standards.” said study co-author Arlene Blum, executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute, a group of scientists and policy experts who work and report on chemicals of concern.

“Parents should be able to lay their children down for sleep knowing they are safe and snug,” Blum said in a statement.

What parents can do

Potentially toxic chemicals are so widespread in children’s products that it can be very hard for parents to choose safer options, said Jane Muncke, managing director and chief scientific officer at the Food Packaging Forum, a nonprofit foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, that focuses on science communication and research. She was not involved in the new research.

“As a mother of children, I remember the stress when choosing the right products for them, not just mattresses,” Muncke said in an email. “We opted for large brands that I knew had at least some chemicals policies, and tried to get natural materials — latex, cotton, merino — or buy second hand, because I figured that most chemicals that would gas out will already have gassed out.”

One exception was her new baby carriage, which she “let stand outside on our terrace, in the baking sunlight, for about 4 weeks to get rid of all VOCs,” said Muncke, who studies how plastics harm the body. “In that moment, my children’s health came first.”

Another tip: Choose neutral-colored mattress components and sheets when possible; they’re less likely to contain UV filters, which are added to prevent fading, Diamond said.

“Parents love those brightly colored sheets, window coverings, toys and bedding and think they are stimulating their child,” she said. “But UV filters are added to slow down the fading of those bright colors. So unfortunately, I would definitely go for duller, neutral colors.”

Wash bedding and clothing worn to sleep often, since they act as a protective barrier, absorbing some of these contaminants to help reduce exposure to baby’s skin, Diamond said.

“The sheets and sleeper act as a very effective barrier,” she said. “And cleaner the sheet or clothing is, the more the chemicals can go from the source right into the sheet, or the sleeper.”

Regular airing, vacuum cleaning and avoiding personal care products that contain a lot of synthetic ingredients are other good choices, Muncke said.

“Minimize extras in the crib or bed, like stuffed animals or mattress pads, which can also harbor toxic additives,” Houlihan said.

“The big takeaway is that we need stronger standards for toxic additives in children’s products — especially in products that sit inches from a child’s nose and mouth for hours every day,” she added. “Companies should also do their part by removing unneeded chemicals and working toward products that are truly non-toxic.”

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