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Posts Tagged ‘polyurethane foam’

Dr. Greene Recommends Naturepedic Crib Mattresses – Find Out Why

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010


Dr. Alan Greene, renowned pediatrician, Professor of Pediatrics and author, was recently a guest on Parenting, the CBS news show with Ann Pleshette Murphy. The program featured the best organic baby products. Among other products, Dr. Greene discusses crib mattresses, and why he recommends Naturepedic.

According to Dr. Greene, a respected and outspoken proponent of raising our children in an environment that is not over-burdened with harmful chemicals, there are three ‘points of entry’ we have to watch out for: the mouth, the skin, and the air – especially indoor air, which is 2 to 5 times more toxic than the air outside.

Dr. Greene points out that there are 80,000 chemicals out there and parents would be overwhelmed trying to protect their children from all of them. He recommends that if we can only change one thing to protect our children, it should be their crib mattress.

Why? Dr. Greene describes the environment created by traditional crib mattresses – which contain polyurethane foam, flame retardants, and vinyl – as a ‘cloud of chemicals’ our babies breath.

We’ve excerpted the approximately 8-minute portion of the broadcast in which Dr. Greene discusses crib mattresses, but you can also watch the entire newscast, entitled The Best Organic Baby Products, on ABC News Now.

Do you want to create a healthier environment for your child – follow Dr. Greene’s advice and check out Naturepedic crib mattresses, the only crib mattresses he recommends.

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Posted in Green your home and nursery, Naturepedic, PVC/vinyl, going green, phthalates, polyurethane foam, toxic chemicals | No Comments »

What You Really Need to Know About “Safe” Crib Mattresses

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

New Mom's Guide to Choosing a Crib Mattress

Check out our New Mom's Guide to Choosing a Crib Mattress!

I was recently checking the customer reviews of crib mattresses – the traditional varieties made with polyurethane foam, fire retardants, PVC/vinyl with phthalates, just to mention a few of the chemical components – and found that many of the reviewers said they know their baby is safe with the crib mattress they chose because it fits snugly in their crib (which means no tiny fingers can get stuck in between the mattress and the crib), and it’s firm.

I was quite amazed to realize that the majority of people have so little information about the potential dangers of the chemicals found in crib mattresses and the toxic fumes they can emit into the air our babies breathe for 12 to 15 hours a day.

In fact, the chemicals used in most crib mattresses, including many of those labeled ‘organic’ or ‘natural,’ have been linked to so many illnesses and other conditions that even the President’s Cancer Panel – which is anything but ‘fringe’ – is jumping on the bandwagon to reduce our exposure. See President’s Cancer Panel Warns Against Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life for information on the Panel’s latest annual report.

I thought it might be a good idea to write a blog listing the chemicals in crib mattresses and giving more information about each. But we actually have all that information on the What’s NOT in a Naturepedic Crib Mattress page of our website.

Many experts say you may be able to avoid cancer, ADD and ADHD, endocrine and hormonal problems, asthma and allergies, obesity, respiratory illness, and a host of other conditions if you have fewer chemicals in your life and in the life of your children.

This is vital information for parents. Please read it, and send a link to the page to your friends. And while you’re at it, also read What IS in a Naturepedic Baby Crib Mattress – and you’ll see the difference.

You can also download our excellent New Mom’s Guide to Crib Mattresses. It’s a quick and easy read, and probably answers every question you have.

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Posted in ADHD, Autism, SIDS, Naturepedic, New Mom's Guide to Choosing a Crib Mattress, PVC/vinyl, crib mattress firmness, fire retardants, phthalates, polyurethane foam, toxic chemicals | No Comments »

287 Chemicals Found in Umbilical Cords of Newborns

Monday, April 5th, 2010


With all the recent news and studies about phthalates, and the attention given to them by the EPA and FDA, we can sometimes forget that phthalates are just one type of dangerous chemical to which we’re exposed. In fact, we’re exposed to thousands of potentially harmful chemicals every day – and hundreds are showing up in newborns.

Hundreds? That’s right. A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group tested umbilical cord blood samples from newborns and found 287 chemicals. (This study isn’t new, but it’s still very relevant.)

Are the chemicals the study found dangerous? Well …

• 180 cause cancer in humans or animals
• 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system
• 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests

It is any surprise that autism, ADD and ADHD, childhood obesity, eczema and other conditions are ever-increasing – some at epidemic rates?

For example, here are the annual growth statistics for autism from 1992 to 2008.

do chemicals in umbilical cord blood cause autism?

To make matters worse, the exposure continues for most children from the minute they’re born: Cribs made with toxic glues and solvents; crib mattresses that contain chemical fire retardants, PVC/vinyl, phthalates and polyurethane foam (protect your child with our organic crib mattresses); food grown with pesticides, antibiotics and synthetic hormones then loaded with preservatives; polyester clothing and bed linens infused with formaldehyde to make them ‘easy care’ – the list goes on and on.

Check out the study, Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns, for more information on exactly what chemicals were found, how they may have entered umbilical cord blood, and so on.

There are a lot of things you can do it prevent this from happening to your baby, and to you! Start by getting rid of potentially hazardous chemicals in your own home and body. You can find out more about how to do this in our blog post Going Green in 2010 – A Few Simple Things With A Big Impact.

And don’t forget to protect your child with Naturepedic crib mattresses and other products. We started Naturepedic to protect our own family, now we’re helping you protect yours.

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Posted in ADHD, Autism, SIDS, Crib Mattress, Green your home and nursery, Naturepedic, Studies, going green, phthalates, toxic chemicals | 1 Comment »

Does Your Baby Mattress Label Say ‘Green’ or ‘Eco’? Do You Know What That Really Means?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010


So many products with ‘green’, ‘natural’ or ‘eco’ labels are made with toxic or hazardous materials that it’s hard to tell what you’re really buying. Labeling laws and practices make it even more difficult – the manufacturers of some products are required to reveal very little; even if they make baby mattresses or other products for children that could affect their health.

Manufacturers of many products are not required to put all the exact information on labels, nor do they have to give you the information if you contact them privately.

This might be a great tactic for maintaining a competitive edge, but it’s not good for consumers.

‘Natural’ or ‘eco’ on labels is obviously going to lead buyers to think they’re getting just that. Unfortunately, that is often not the case.

Crib mattresses are a good example. Labels now say things like ‘Green’ or ‘Eco’ or that the products are made with ‘Soybean Foam,’ ‘Soy Foam,’ ‘Eco Foam,’ ‘Bio Foam,’ or ‘Plant-derived Foam.’

True – they’ve got some soybean oil (or whatever) in them. But, the actual amount of soybean oil is often only about 20% of the content.

What does the other 80% comprise? The same old polyurethane foam, probably with toxic fire retardant chemicals, that you were trying to avoid by buying a ‘Green’ or ‘Eco’ product.

It’s easy to get discouraged about all this. Who has the time to go back to school for a degree that will enable you to decipher all this double-talk?

But, in fact, there is an easy solution. You may not be able to find out what materials a manufacturer uses, but you can find out that a manufacturer will not tell you what’s in their products.

When they won’t tell you, you simply move on to a manufacturer who will give you full information. Some quick research, and you can then find out if the materials used are safe.

For the record, we at Naturepedic will give you all the information you need about our crib mattresses, organic cotton bedding and all our other products. Just check our website, or give us a call. If you live in the area, you can even come by and we’ll show you just how, and with what materials, our products are made.

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Posted in Naturepedic | 1 Comment »

Washington Post Reports on Use of Potentially Harmful Chemicals Kept Secret Under Law

Thursday, January 7th, 2010


no-chemicalsIt’s an unfortunate fact that money and power sometimes pull more weight than the health and safety of U.S. citizens. A prime example, covered in a recent Washington Post story, is the serious flaw in the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act that allows companies to withhold details about potentially hazardous chemicals from the public and all but a very select muzzled few in the EPA. Though the law is designed to help companies hide information on their products, ingredients and formulas from their competitors the result is protecting the health of the company’s bottom line while risking the health of the public. And, in many cases, the public being endangered are our children.

One such company, makers of a ’secret’ fire-retardant used in furniture and other products, issued a statement saying they support the secrecy clause because it is “essential for ensuring the long-term competitiveness of U.S. industry.”

Is this really the choice: consumers having the data necessary to make informed decisions or destroying the U.S. economy?

Actually no. We can live without toxic chemicals right now. We don’t have to wait for the government or any other entity to do a thing. And as we support companies that sell nontoxic products, the economy–and our health–will flourish.

There are literally thousands of manufacturers who already offer non-toxic products: Everything from food to clothing, from carpets to paint, from toys to a crib mattress (we’ll be happy to supply them), and lots more – it’s all there, right now. Non-toxic products are now sold in stores in just about every town in America, and there are hundreds of websites where you can buy things online. You can search for the things you’re interested in on Google, or check out Debra’s List for hundreds of websites that sell nontoxic products (including us!).

And the number of companies going green is growing exponentially as responsible manufacturers and the public become more aware of the risks some chemicals pose to our health and our environment.

The more we insist on buying from companies that produce non-toxic products, the more things will change. And soon exposure to toxic chemicals in the products we use every day will be a thing of the past. Wouldn’t that be wonderful!

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Posted in Naturepedic | No Comments »

Does the Label on Your Adult or Crib Mattress Really Tell You Everything?

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

 

A friend of mine recently bought a bed at a store (which shall remain nameless) that, for some reason, I associate with products that are somewhat natural if not actually organic. She bought a mattress with a cotton cover – it may even have been unbleached, it looked like it – along with a natural wood bed, and a platform of wooden slats on which the mattress rests. Sounds pretty natural to me, as it did to her.

 

She got it home and had been happily sleeping on it for a while when she told me about it. Of course, we got into a discussion about the materials used to make mattresses. She told me hers was safe – cotton cover and all. Then I told her to check the label. She said she checked it when she bought it but didn’t have it any longer because it was on the packaging. I told her to check the label that is attached to the bottom of the mattress; the one that says it’s against the law to remove. She’d never thought of checking THAT label and, even though she’d seen them, she had always assumed that those labels contained the same information that was on the packaging.

 

So, she checked it and, sure enough, the mattress contained polyurethane foam. Wow!! Was she disappointed. She felt cheated – she put out the time and energy to get a good natural product, or so she thought, and it turned out she was sleeping on the equivalent of solid gasoline, with tons of chemicals in it to make it less flammable, and breathing it all in every night.

 

She’s taking it back. She doesn’t want to breathe that stuff.

 

But she learned a good lesson from it – reading the packaging isn’t enough. You have to read the real label. In fact, I would advise you go a little further and even check for GREENGUARD certification. We have it on all our crib mattresses, and the larger mattresses as well. If you still have questions about materials used, call the manufacturer. A good one will tell you exactly what’s in their products. Like we do.

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Posted in Naturepedic | No Comments »

 
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