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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Report: Some Daycare Nap Mats Have Harmful Chemicals
MarinaVanessa 02:04 PM 03-07-2013
Not to freak anyone out (they have not yet recalled any of the mats) but has anyone else read about this?

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...nd-4292200.php

Originally Posted by :
An Oakland watchdog group said Tuesday it is suing major manufacturers and retailers, including Target and Amazon.com, for selling nap mats made with a toxic flame retardant that is also a known carcinogen.
The lawsuit is the latest legal move for the group, which last year put the companies on notice for selling or making similarly contaminated changing pads, crib mattresses and other items. While some of the manufacturers and retailers say they've started to change their practices, the Center for Environmental Health says it wants the courts to require swift action.
Many foam nap mats, which are widely used at places like day care centers, are doused with flame retardants linked to obesity, hormone disruption and infertility, according to the lawsuit. One of those flame retardants is chlorinated Tris, a carcinogen that was banned more than 30 years ago from children's pajamas, the group says.
These chemicals are released into the air that infants and toddlers inhale as they doze on the mats, said Caroline Cox, the center's research director.
"Kids are sleeping on them with their nose practically right up against the mat," she said.
According to a report released by the center Tuesday, a Duke University scientist found flame retardants in 22 out of 24 nap mats that researchers bought or borrowed in California, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and other states.
The Center for Environmental Health used that information as the basis of lawsuits filed Friday in Alameda County Superior Court against the following vendors and sellers of nap mats: Target, Amazon.com, Lakeshore Learning, Venture Products and Peerless Products.
The lawsuit also targets companies, which the group first identified in December, for making and selling infant recliners, crib mattresses and other foam products with chlorinated Tris. These companies include Babies R Us, Walmart, Kmart, Delta Children, Bed Bath & Beyond, Foundations, Angeles, A Baby, Dex Products, Children's Factory, Munchkin, Carpenter, Baby Doll Bedding and Infants Wear, Hayneedle and Baby Matters.
According to the lawsuit, the companies illegally failed to inform consumers that the products contain chlorinated Tris, which was banned from pajamas in 1979.
That omission violates Proposition 65, the state's consumer protection law, which requires warning labels on products with certain toxicants, the group said.
The group said it can only sue sellers and makers of items with chlorinated Tris, because the other flame retardants found are not subject to Prop. 65.
Jessica Deede, a Target spokeswoman, did not comment on the lawsuit except to say, "We abide by all state and federal laws, and expect our vendors to do the same." Amazon did not return a request for comment.
Halting sales
Toys R Us, which owns Babies R Us, said it is discussing the lawsuit's claims with its suppliers, and some retailers, such as Walmart and Lakeshore Learning, have said they would stop selling products with chlorinated Tris.
The Center for Environmental Health is suing to legally ensure they stick to their promise, Cox said.
Flame retardants have been controversial because of a 1975 California requirement that polyurethane foam in upholstered furniture and some children's items resist a small flame for 12 seconds.
Many nap mats carry tags that say they comply with California's flammability law, known as Technical Bulletin 117. But while TB-117 regulates booster seats, infant mattresses and other children's products, it doesn't apply to nap mats.
Manufacturers routinely add flame retardants to items that aren't included under the 1975 law. Cox said it is unclear why the chemicals were added to nap mats.
Many studies have found that the chemicals do little to stop foam items from catching fire.
Flame retardants common
The 24 mats analyzed by the Duke researcher were bought from stores, online and in person. Some of them were also borrowed from child care centers.

Twenty-two contained at least one flame retardant, and 19 had two or more. They included chlorinated Tris, the carcinogen that is known to damage DNA; triphenyl phosphate, which is linked to lower sperm production; and Firemaster 550, a mix of chemicals that cause obesity and disrupt hormones in lab animals.
The effects are "a concern because kids are young, they're growing and developing, their hormones are what shape that growth and development," Cox said. "But also because of the way hormones work, a very small amount of the chemical can have a large effect."
California is revising its flammability law. Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Washington are all considering legislation to restrict flame retardants.
Nap mats with flame retardants
These mats sold in California contained flame retardants, according to the Center for Environmental Health. Retailers appear in parentheses:
-- Children's Blue Rest Mat (Target.com)
-- Microban Nap Mat (Amazon.com)
-- Yellow Rainbow Rest Mat (Lakeshorelearning.com)
-- Red/Green Pillow Folding Rest Mat (Lakeshorelearning.com)
-- Blue/Red Indestructible Folding Mat (Lakeshorelearning.com)
-- Blue/Green Hygienic Folding Mat (Lakeshorelearning.com)
-- Blue Kindermat Deluxe (Schoolspecialty.com)
-- 3-Section Blue Mat (Busy-kids.com)
-- Red/Blue 3-Section Infection Control Mat (Busy-kids.com)
-- Green Rest Assured Nap Mat by Anthony Williams (Northshorecare.com)
-- Yellow Rest Mat (Kaplanco.com)
-- Red/Blue 3-Section Infection Control Mat (Kaplanco.com)
-- Green Deluxe Flat Rest Mat (USMarkerboard.com)
-- Red/Blue Economy Flat Rest Mat (USMarkerboard.com)
Source: Center for Environmental Health
Tips for parents
Feeling uneasy about the mat you just got for your toddler? Laying a blanket over the surface may keep some of the flame retardants from spreading, but "it certainly wouldn't stop the exposure," says Caroline Cox of the Center for Environmental Health.
Otherwise, wash your and your children's hands often, especially before eating.
If you haven't bought a mat yet, Cox says, look for polyester fiberfill, cotton or wool instead of polyurethane foam. Ask your child care provider to buy those kinds of mats, too.

Here are some more articles on the subject:
http://www.wcvb.com/health/Hidden-da...6/-/index.html
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/s2937055.shtml?cat=300"]http://wnyt.com/article/stories/s2937055.shtml?cat=300[/url]
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MotherNature 05:44 PM 03-07-2013
Yes! Someone posted this in a thread I had about nap mats and cots. Scary stuff- I hope the ones I have are OK. Since I bought them used from a daycare that was closing, they probably wouldn't be subject to a reimbursement from a recall. If you hear anything else related to it, I'd love to follow this subject.
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MarinaVanessa 05:51 PM 03-07-2013
Originally Posted by MotherNature:
Yes! Someone posted this in a thread I had about nap mats and cots. Scary stuff- I hope the ones I have are OK. Since I bought them used from a daycare that was closing, they probably wouldn't be subject to a reimbursement from a recall. If you hear anything else related to it, I'd love to follow this subject.
I will, I was thinking about calling Lakeshore Learning about this because I have a few of the red and green nap mats mentioned and if they are offering a refund I hope they won't ask for proof of receipt because then I have to go digging through about 3 years worth of receipts. I really hope I didn't buy them before that .

No word yet on the lawsuit or change in policies, just that a lawsuit was filed.
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Sunnyyy1 06:12 PM 03-07-2013
Well I guess I'll stick to the cots.
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EntropyControlSpecialist 06:24 PM 03-07-2013
Wow!

Really glad I have cots now.
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Starburst 08:21 PM 03-07-2013
Well I thought about weather or not to get cots/toddler beds or just get mats, but now I will stick to cots. And just last fall I saw nap mats for sale at target and seriously concidered getting one or two (they were only $10 each).

I think I would rather put the extra money into a good old fashioned wooden (maybe metal) toddler bed between $30-$60.

The weird thing is in CA they are supposed to have a sticker on it that says it contains certain chemicals that can cause cancer.
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MsLaura529 04:21 AM 03-08-2013
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
I will, I was thinking about calling Lakeshore Learning about this because I have a few of the red and green nap mats mentioned and if they are offering a refund I hope they won't ask for proof of receipt because then I have to go digging through about 3 years worth of receipts. I really hope I didn't buy them before that .

No word yet on the lawsuit or change in policies, just that a lawsuit was filed.
If they do end up recalling them, you will not need a receipt.
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MarinaVanessa 03:00 PM 03-08-2013
Originally Posted by MsLaura529:
If they do end up recalling them, you will not need a receipt.
Awesome.

There are no Lakeshore recalls on the mats as of yet. I'll hang on to them until I know for sure what to do. It's a good thing I don't use them regularly.
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Tags:chemicals, mats, recall
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