Car seats are supposed to keep our children safe and secure, but a recent report has found that some car seats might be made from toxic and harmful chemicals that can endanger our children.
They contain carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and developmental toxicants
The report was based on a study conducted by the Ecology Center in the UK. The Ecology Center has been testing child car seats for over ten years, tracking the different chemicals used in manufacturing the seats.
They found flame retardants in the 15 different car seats that they tested, and their usage is widespread in the fabric for the car seats. These flame retardants contain known carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and developmental toxicants that are harmful especially for babies.
For the first time, they didn't find any lead
In spite of the alarming news, the car seats have shown significant progress when it comes to eliminating the most harmful chemicals that were previously used in manufacturing car seats.
A significant improvement was that for the first time in the 10 years that they've been conducting the study, they found that none of the car seats contained any lead, and chlorinated tris, another harmful and dangerous chemical that has cancer-causing effects.
The flame retardants are important since they're necessary to comply with health and safety standards. However, the researchers say that manufacturers can comply with the standards while still using safe and non-carcinogenic chemicals in the fabric.
The study just shows how important it is for parents to know the chemicals that are contained in the things that their children use, since some supposedly child-safe products might actually be very harmful.
Go to the next page to learn more about harmful chemicals at home!
What are the common household chemicals?
- Bisphenol-A, or BPA. Commonly found in food cans and on receipts, BPA can cause decreased sperm production in men, early puberty in little girls, and fertility problems in both men and women.
- Dioxins. Dioxins are found in the fatty tissues of animals, and can be widespread in the food supply since chemical bleaching of paper and wood pulp place large amounts of dioxins in the air and water. Dioxins can cause decreased fertility, diabetes, endometriosis, immune system problems, lowered testosterone levels, miscarriages.
- Atrazine. Atrazine is a chemical found in vegetables, since it's a herbicide. Atrazine can cause infertility problems and it has also been known to cause male fish and male frogs to turn into females.
- Pthalates. Pthalates interfere with testosterone and estradiol, a hormone that affects breast development, and have been found in large amounts among women with breast cancer. Pthalates are commonly found in flooring, shower curtains, synthetic leather, and PVC vinyl products.
- Lead. Lead is a common culprit found in a lot of household products including water from old pipes, paint, and even faucet filters. Large amounts of lead can cause lead poisoning which is very fatal.
Sources: time.com, ecocenter.org, prevention.com
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