Car Seat Manufacturers Pledge to Remove Hazardous Flame Retardants & PVC from Products Improving C

April 2, 2012 - PRLog -- Since commitments from Orbit Baby and Britax, the 4th largest car seat manufacturer issued commitments to remove brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFRs & CFRs) from their products in the past few months, retailers are seeing a rise in demand for these products. Orbit Baby was the first manufacturer to market children’s car seats as free of hazardous flame retardants and PVC. In early March of 2012, Britax issued a statement in which they pledge to eliminate hazardous flame retardants that contain bromine or chlorine by the end of 2012.

Hoppytoddle.com, a website dedicated to organic, natural, and ecologically sound baby products is reporting an increased interest in these particular car seats, with customers citing these specific commitments.  States hoppytoddle.com owner, Amy Pintus, “Our customers are generally more aware of these issues than the typical population as this is what our company is based on, however we don’t usually have customers requesting products based on specific company statements. Our concerns with car seats are primarily centered around crash safety issues, but as children spend a considerable amount of time in their seats, what they are being exposed to in those seats has become a concern as well. Customers are telling us that they want to purchase the Orbit Baby and Britax products because of these commitments.”

Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants are added to plastics to increase their fire resistance, and have been shown to cause thyroid problems, learning and memory impairment, decreased fertility, and behavioral changes.  Fire retardants are necessary in foam to comply with certain fire-safety standards however, non-halogenated fire retardants are available, many with a better safety profile.