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13 Comments

  1. My son’s college requires that toppers purchased to make their mattress more comfortable, need to be compliant with this norm. How can I be sure the topper I’m buying is compliant? is there a list?

  2. What about mattresses? How are they affected by this? Are they required to disclose use of FR? I am in the market for a mattress for my daughter & am terribly confused. Please provide some guidance. Thank you.

    1. Hi Rosaria: Unfortunately, mattresses are NOT affected by this law. Mattresses are governed by the Federal law versus California. Thank you for asking. ~Irina

        1. Yes, I love Maia’s work. You and Maia are my go-to resources for the safest, most non-toxic stuff. (I’ve noticed that many people are writing about “natural” products these days, but they often just repeat info they find online, or take manufacturers’ and retailers’ word at face value.) Thanks so much for having high standards and going the extra mile!

  3. Hi Irina,
    This seems to be a dead thread, but perhaps I will a successful attempt at reviving it…I have not found a dedicated post regarding car seats in your blog. But I was very excited to discover you have developed The Ultimate Guide to Non-Toxic Baby Products with lots of useful information, inlcuding car seats. You have mentioned 2 brands that you recommend from the less toxic perspective – Orbit and Nuna Sena. Following your recommendation I decided to go with Orbit and checked it on HealthyStuff.org and it was ranked as a car seat with one of the highest concern. I am puzzled now…. Your thoughts?

    1. Hi Tatiana: Thank you so much for letting me know about this recent test by HealthyStuff.org. The study came out just after I had finished writing the ebook. Based on the test results I can’t recommend Orbit travel system. (My initial recommendation was based on Oeko-Tex 100 certification.) I will be spending a lot of time putting pressure on Orbit. You might want let them know about your disappointment with their product. I have promptly updated my ebook and I will email you the updated file. The updated sections are Strollers and Car Seats. This is an example of why I have been building a membership cite so these changes can be done on the site for all members to see. Thank you, again, for bringing this to my attention!

  4. Olga,
    Foam is one component to check for testing. Fabrics can also be treated with flame retardant saturation coats and or flame retardants added into the backing of the material.

  5. Car seats must comply with the federal motor vehicle flammability standard FMVSS 302, overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are not exempt from TB 117-2013. As it is now, most if not all car seats sold in the US are loaded with flame retardants and most manufacturers will not tell you what they are. However, one can send up to 5 foam samples to the Duke chem lab and for free they will tell you exactly which flame retardants are used in the submitted foams. Go to the URL below to submit your samples
    http://foam.pratt.duke.edu/node/67
    They only accept 50 samples per month.

  6. What about the fire retardants in your car. I just purchased a new car, and am not driving it as the fire retardant smell is so bad. I asked the dealership what the smell was, and they confirmed it is fire retardant in the seat cushions. I have been thru breast cancer, chemo, mastectomy, radiation and reconstruction in the past 3 years, and I hate having to worry about this stuff. Will cars ever be free of this stuff?

    1. I am sorry, Valerie. I do not have comforting news for you. Flame retardant chemicals are used in cars, home insulations, electronics, and even carpeting backing. Some people spent their lifetime to fight against them them. This current law change is a great success and it will take us more years to get rid of them in other places. Let me know if you would like to participate in the movement to regulate toxic chemicals. By the way, HealthyStuff.org rates cars for toxicity. Thanks!