Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Toxic car seats

Can you believe it?

A recent study conducted by the watchdog group, Friends of the Earth, found that 56% of infant carriers, 44% of car seats, and 40% of the strollers they tested had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.[1]

This is downright scary--and is yet another toxic exposure on a long list of children?s products with toxic chemicals to come out lately.

We have to turn this tide.

The good news: Graco, the giant manufacturer of children's products, responded to the Friends of the Earth report the day it was published. Graco says they want to do the right thing, but they haven't yet committed to removing these chemicals. If Graco gets rid of these chemicals, other baby product manufacturers will be under enormous pressure to follow suit.

*Ask Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to not use any more halogenated fire retardants ? period!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1230

Haloge-what?

Halogenated flame retardants have been shown to cause serious health disorders including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a host of reproductive and neurological disorders in developing fetuses and offspring in animals.

Forward this note to your family, friends, and community so we can all let Graco, and other manufacturers, know that nobody wants toxins near their kids. When consumers speak, companies listen. Moms' voices are turning the tide on toxins: After our petition with your signatures was delivered several weeks ago on getting the toxic bisphenol A (BPA) out of baby bottles, Toys"R"Us, Babies"R"Us, and CVS announced they'll stop selling baby bottles which contain BPA, and Playtex committed to stop using BPA in all of their baby bottles by the year's end.

So please forward this blog far and wide to get as many signatures as possible--we know your signatures will have an impact. We want Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to know that making safe products includes keeping toxic chemicals out of them. Together, we can make help keep dangerous chemicals away from our children.

Thank you to Friends of the Earth and Make Our Milk Safe for their tremendous work on this issue.

[1] Friends of the Earth report, entitled Killer Cribs, http://action.foe.org/t/3882/content.jsp?content_KEY=4205

p.s. To see the CBS story on flame retardants: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/19/eveningnews/main4109418.shtml

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