A new study published May 18 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found that 80 of 101 samples of baby products researchers tested--including nursing pillows, changing table pads and car seats--contained chemical flame retardants. Of these chemicals, the one most commonly detected in the products was a probable carcinogen in humans known as chlorinated tris (TDCPP). The use of this fire retardant in children’s pajamas was discontinued decades ago after studies in the late 1970s indicated it was mutagenic and it was later shown to cause increased incidence of tumors in rats.

“It’s astonishing to see this chemical that our research helped remove from children’s pajamas decades ago is now being so widely used in baby products,” said Arlene Blum, PhD, who was one of the scientists involved in those influential studies in the 1970s and one of the authors of the new study.

Why would such chemicals appear now in baby products such as nursing pillows? Baby products containing polyurethane foam must meet the unique flammability standards set for furniture in California. While these are state requirements, they have an impact on the use of flame retardants in baby products sold across the country because polyurethane foam manufacturers typically use chemical additives as an efficient method for meeting the California standard, which requires the foam to withstand a small open flame for 12 seconds.

The researchers involved in the study note that flame retardant additives can escape from products over time, accumulating in house dust, which is a primary route of exposure for humans, particularly babies and young children because of their tendency to put their hands and other objects in their mouths. A 2006 Consumer Product Safety Commission risk assessment of flame retardant chemicals in upholstered furniture foam noted that “upholstered furniture manufactured with TDCPP-treated foam might present a hazard to consumers, based on both cancer and non-cancer” health risks and estimated that children’s exposure to the chemical from treated furniture was five times higher than the agency’s acceptable daily intake. Another recent study suggests that TDCPP may act as a neurotoxin as well.

The scientists testing baby products also found two other chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in items including sleep positioners and portable mattresses that they said were not previously documented in consumer products or in the environment and recommended that further studies are warranted to determine if these chemicals pose health concerns.

“I would hope politicians and regulatory officials would look at this study and question whether these kind of products really are fire hazards and if so, consider using other fillings or fabrics to reduce flammability effectively without relying on these chemicals,” Heather Stapleton, PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of Environmental Chemistry at Duke University, said in an interview with Consumer Reports. Stapleton, the mother of a toddler and a newborn, also said that transparency in labeling for these products is a problem. “When I buy baby products I can bring a piece to the lab to test to see whether it contains these flame retardants, but that’s not an option for most parents and use of the chemicals is not disclosed on product labeling.”