Press: Children

CBS Local: California Kids Have Higher Levels Of Flame Retardant Chemicals In Bodies Than East Coasters

July 11, 2016

July 11 2016

Just weeks after congress passed a law giving the Environmental Protection Agency more power to ban harmful chemicals; a new study demonstrates just how much chemical regulations can impact the health of our nation’s youth. From couch cushions, to baby products, to kid’s pajamas, chemical flame retardants are widely used in consumer goods. As a result, the average American infant has……

Chemical Watch: US House considers modifying flammability standards in car seats

June 3, 2016

June 3 2016

Congressman Jared Huffman (D–California) has introduced legislation to revise the federal flammability standard for children’s car seats. This would allow it to be met without added chemical flame retardants. Bill HR 5359 would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to revise the existing flammability standards to measure a car seat’s smoulder resistance, rather than using an open flame test. The measure would also direct…

CBS Local: Fire-Suppressing Foam’s Toxic Chemicals Detected In California Groundwater

May 17, 2016

May 17 2016

Watch Video

When disaster strikes on a runway, fire suppressing foam can be a lifesaver. For decades, however, there was a hidden danger in the foam itself. The chemical agents in that foam are called fluorinated chemicals.…

AJ+: Is Your House Toxic?

March 25, 2016

March 9 2016

Watch Video

The shampoo in your shower, the foam in your mattress, your TV, couch, carpet, pillows…chemicals are everywhere. And they aren’t all safe. …

Dr. Oz Show: Are there carcinogens in children’s pajamas?

March 9, 2016

March 9 2016

Watch Video

By law, children’s pajamas have to meet flammability standards to keep your kids safe from fires. And, people are asking questions about those standards. What’s in those pajamas to make them flame-resistant? Could there be dangerous chemicals hidden in your children’s sleepwear? And we don’t even know it, in fact the opposite: we’re forcing you to put it in there? Our investigative correspondent, Elisabeth Leamy, took on the case.…

CBS: Popular car seats found to contain flame retardant

December 21, 2015

Watch Video

21 December 2015

Limiting a child’s exposure to toxic chemicals is a big issue for many parents, but finding eco-friendly products may cost more than a thousand dollars for a car seat stroller system.

One manufacturer claimed to market the only car seat free from the most hazardous flame retardants, but test results indicate parents may not be getting what they expect, reports investigative reporter Julie Watts of CBS News’ San Francisco affiliate station KPIX……

Counsel & Heal: Researchers Identified Flame Retardant, TCEP in Americans for the First Time

November 12, 2014

12 Nov 2014

Americans are contaminated with many toxic flame retardants, a new study reported. According to the researchers at the Silent Spring Institute and the University of Antwerp, one of these flame retardants, TCEP, has never been identified in Americans before.…

SF Chronicle: Hazardous flame retardants ubiquitous in preschools

May 15, 2014

15 May 2014

Flame retardants are ubiquitous at preschools and day care centers, potentially exposing children to chemicals that are hazardous to their health, UC Berkeley researchers wrote in a study published Thursday. The researchers collected air and floor dust samples from 40 child care centers serving more than 1,760 children in Monterey and Alameda counties and then tested the samples for potentially dangerous flame retardant chemicals.…