Toxic Baby Furniture

We all want the best for our baby and it seems that parents have to be concerned with just about everything they buy.

We all want the best for our baby and it seems that parents have to be concerned with just about everything they buy. For the most part, toys have been the number one culprit but a new study conducted by Environment California Research and Policy Center in May 2008 reveals another possible hazard that parents now have to worry about. The study analyzed 21 products that are intended for use in a baby's room. The goal was to find out what the health risks of formaldehyde exposure were from these product samples. First of all, you may be asking what is formaldehyde? For me, it brings back memories of my middle school science lab and dissecting a frog. I will never forget that smell--mainly because I had to take the frog home to boil it! I had to boil the frog until all the meat was removed and mount the bones on a board and label it. I was given no other choice--either I did it or I failed the assignment. I was given the extra assignment because when I was digging to find the brain, I was actually digging the brain out completely. Oops! There is a reason I did not become a surgeon!

I look back on that experience and have to wonder about the dangers of that experiment. Chemicals have become a part of our everyday lives whether we realize it or not. They hide in places like our fabrics, skin care, furniture, and electronics. They are absorbed through our skin or slowly offgassed into the air that we breathe. One such chemical is formaldehyde. According to the EPA, "Formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per million). High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma. There is evidence that some people can develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions and it may cause cancer".1

This is not something that we want in our baby's room. Formaldehyde in our homes comes from products made with particleboard, plywood paneling, and fiberboard. It can also come from products such as durable press drapes, other textiles and glues 2 . The study conducted by the Environment California Research and Policy Center found that high levels of formaldehyde were present in six of the 21 products. According to the study, if a baby was sleeping in a nursery equipped with a crib and changing table that were emitting high levels of formaldehyde, they would face an increased risk of developing allergies and/or asthma 2 . The Environment California Research and Policy Center recommends the following for parents who want to minimize the risk of formaldehyde exposure:

Ask about the formaldehyde emissions of furniture, cabinetry and building products before you purchase and install them in your home.

If such information is unavailable, avoid products with components made of raw medium density fiberboard or other types of composite wood.

Ensure adequate ventilation within your home. Maintain moderate temperatures and humidity levels.

Place pollution-absorbing plants—such as spider plants, Boston ferns, dwarf date palms, pot mums, or peace lilies--in your home

1 EPA website. November 14, 2007. Environmental Protection Agency. July 2008. <http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html>

2 Madsen, Travis and Gibson, Rachel. "Toxic Baby Furniture--The Latest Case for Making Products Safe from the Start". Environment California Research and Policy Center. May 2008.