We buy it at the store, we assume it’s safe. But, it’s not necessarily
that simple. Unfortunately, “safe” doesn’t mean “‘not likely to harm”, instead
it more accurately means “not likely to cause a lawsuit in the immediate future”. Another part of it is we often have to weigh
a small chance of drastic harm, or a sure chance of gradual harm.
Take sleepers and nightgowns for example. Since synthetic
fibers melt and shrink in heat, a child in their jammies in the unfortunate circumstances
of a fire would likely find their clothing fusing to their skin in the heat.
Bad! So, it is required that all sleepwear is doused in flame retardants. This
sounds like a good thing, but what do the flame retardants do to your children?
The chlorinated and brominated flame retardants used in children’s sleepwear is
harmful to the environment and accumulates in the body. Many of these have been
linked to cancer, reproductive and nervous system damage and imparing thyroid
function. Also Bad!
(On the positive note, in the 1970’s we identified chlorinated
Tris as a human carcinogen, and banned it from being use in children’s sleepwear.)
What to do? Buy pajamas made with natural fibers like
cotton. All sleepwear made from synthetic fibers has flame retardants (as does
your carpet btw!) If it says “must be
snug fitting” that is a good giveaway that it doesn’t have any flame retardants
in it. It is harder to find sleepwear
that is free of flame retardants for little babies. If you must use synthetic fibers, wash the
clothes a few times first. That helps a little. The more you wash it the better
(here’s where second hand clothes come in handy).
Speaking of washing….like I said, flame retardants are in
your carpet too, but that’s not all. They are in so many things from furniture
to electronics and we are absorbing the PBDE’s through our skin from the things
we touch. New research has shown that frequent hand-washing can drastically
reduce the levels of PBDE’s in our bodies.
So, buy natural fibers, wash your clothes, and wash your
hands. Simple enough?
Love the insight! Hadn't really given that part too much thought, but lyuckily 90% of Penny's clothes are 2nd hand. Not too many fleece outfits in there either. Since you are concerned about chemicals touching your littlr ones' skin, do you cloth diaper too? I'd love to chat with you about it!
ReplyDeleteGreat info! In all my discoveries about health, etc, I have not yet gotten into the world of chemicals outside of what is in our food. A lot of what you were saying about sleepwear is new to me. I will definitely keep it in mind. We love fleece footies around here :(
ReplyDelete