Parents need car seats to keep babies and children safe while driving. In fact, the law requires them. A child may spend hours each week in a car seat. Unfortunately, 83% of car seats recently tested by the Ecology Center’s Healthy Stuff program contained toxic flame retardants, as verified by a new peer-reviewed report published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

As a result of outdated federal regulations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nearly all children’s car seats are treated with hazardous flame retardants. Ecology Center started this petition to change these standards that expose young children to toxic chemicals when they are at their most vulnerable stages of development. Your signature can help. 

NHTSA hasn’t updated their fire safety regulations since the 1970s and has no evidence that the toxic flame retardant chemicals used to meet the standard provide any added fire safety benefit to children. Exposure to toxic flame retardant chemicals is associated with disruption of the hormone system, developmental delays, obesity, and cancer.

The chemicals found in car seats get into the air and stick to dust. Children breathe them in and absorb them through the skin. These chemicals accumulate in their young bodies – potentially leading to health issues down the road.

The Ecology Center is not alone in this effort. A national coalition of car seat manufacturers, child safety advocates, and public health groups are joining forces to demand changes to these car seat regulations. These changes will allow manufacturers to produce safe, affordable car seats without the use of added toxic flame retardants. Affordable car seats should come without chemical costs to kids!

Tell NHTSA to update their flammability standards!