The Ecology Center has analyzed children's car seats for a variety of chemical hazards for over ten years. Recently, we began investigating the use and potential impact of PFAS in children's products, including car seats.
The newly published peer-reviewed study, "Side-chain Fluorotelomer based Polymers in Children Car Seats" was published in the journal Environmental Pollution. Highlights of the study include:
The Ecology Center teamed up with the Getting Ready for Baby (GRfB) campaign to get a clearer picture of the crib mattress market. GRfB scoured the Internet*, gathering information on 227 mattresses, and sent an extensive survey to crib mattress companies. The Ecology Center's Healthy Stuff lab tested the composition of 13 mattresses purchased in late 2018 and 2019.
In late 2018 and early 2019, we tested 56 beaded necklaces collected from Gasparilla parades in Florida and from Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana. For necklaces that contained multiple bead colors or pendants, we tested these different components separately.
Three popular sex toys were purchased and tested with a goal of understanding to what extent phthalates and other plasticizers are still used in these products. Disposable gloves are ubiquitous at every stage of food production. Sex toys made of flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or vinyl, are popular due to their durability and relatively low cost. To make vinyl products flexible, manufacturers add high levels of plasticizer chemicals--typically around 30% by weight. These plasticizers can easily migrate out of these products and expose people.
For over 10 years, the Ecology Center's Healthy Stuff program has advocated for manufacturers to build car seats free of chemical flame retardants (FRs). In 2017, UPPAbaby launched the very first FR-free children’s car seat.
Working with scientists at University of Notre Dame and Indiana University, we have discovered that Wolverine Worldwide—maker of shoe brands like Hush Puppies and Keds—continues to add per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to some adults’ and children’s shoes despite knowing the dangers.
Ecology Center’s Healthy Stuff Lab tested the composition of eleven yoga mats purchased in 2019 by Consumers Advocate, an editorial and consumer review website. Two test methods were used:
The Healthy Stuff project is fundamentally about helping companies to change their product designs to produce healthier products that do not contain toxic chemicals. To create a healthier product, manufacturers use design to reduce or eliminate the impacts of hazardous chemicals throughout the lifecycle of a product. Companies can implement a chemical policy to help them achieve chemical safety in their supply chain and across the lifecycle of their products.
In 2015, we tested 65 vinyl floor tiles and found that 58% contained phthalates, a hazardous class of plasticizers that can migrate out of flooring into the air and surfaces inside a home. In response to our study, the major flooring and home improvement retailers announced a phase-out of phthalates in all the flooring they sell.
Recently, we followed up. We tested new floor tiles and this time detected no phthalates, suggesting the retailers made good on their commitments.
IMPORTANT NOTE: HealthyStuff.org ratings do not provide a measure of health risk or chemical exposure associated with any individual product, or any individual element or related chemical.
