About the Study

In order to study the scope of halogenated fire retardant use in baby products, a random sampling of 150 baby products were tested. A hand-held instrument called an XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) gun* was used to measure the presence of bromine in selected products. Bromine as measured by the XRF gun indicated the presence of brominated fire retardants (BFRs), a class of halogenated fire retardants.

The gun did not accurately test for chlorine or chlorinated fire retardants (CFRs), another class of halogenated fire retardants used in baby products. Therefore, even though a product may test free of bromine, it may contain other types of halogenated fire retardants, like chlorinated fire retardants. After brominated fire retardants, chlorinated fire retardants are the most widely used chemical fire retardant for baby and furniture products in California.

Furthermore, in some cases, we tested identical products (same make, model) and found that one product contained high levels of bromine while another contained negligible bromine levels. This suggests that the production processes of these products may not be standardized, leading to wide variability and unpredictable chemical use within the same product line. Please take these points into consideration when reviewing our data. Our data in no way should act as a consumer guide.

* XRF guns are widely used by environmental health groups, as well as the USEPA, USFDA and USDA for toxicity testing.