Called Britax today after reading this post and did some quick and dirty
google search online on the related issues.
Here is a letter I got from Britax.
October 4, 2011
We want you to be assured that our child seats are safe. Child restraints
are the most effective means of reducing fatalities and injuries to children
. Car seats save more lives than any other children’s products.
The recent research study conducted by the non-profit Ecology Center at
HealthyStuff.org reports chemical levels found in car seats. However, they
did not conduct studies to determine if the chemicals of concern will
migrate or dissipate from the product, causing a direct exposure. They also
cannot determine whether the presence of these chemicals in a product
results in human exposure, nor can they estimate the health risk posed by
any of these chemicals they detected.
Several years ago, Britax created a guideline for component suppliers which
enforced the reduction of the elements bromine and chlorine in components
used on our products that directly contact the child; this has been
especially challenging for some components which still must meet the flame
retardant requirements defined in government and regulatory standards, but
we have continually investigated ways to eliminate any chemical that is not
required to meet all safety regulations that are an important aspect of our
industry, and quite often we exceed the current requirements for such
regulations.
After reviewing the details of the HealthyStuff.org report related to our
products, Britax conducted an internal audit of all of our car seat
components using XRF testing equipment similar to what was used by the
Ecology Center. The results of that audit showed that there are some
detectable levels of the elements bromine and chlorine in several cover
components and in some of the soft foam components used in our products.
This audit also showed that the vast majority of the car seat components
that directly contact the child showed no detectable levels of bromine and
chlorine. The detectable levels of bromine and chlorine were mainly
discovered in the covers’ filling materials and in the non-woven backing
materials that are both inaccessible and not in direct skin contact with the
child. However, due to the uncontrolled nature of the XRF testing process
the source of the detected elements cannot always be determined accurately,
as was the case in many of the results posted by HealthyStuff.org.
Please be assured that Britax is in compliance with all current and pending
regulations regarding our products. Bromine and chlorine as detected by XRF
scanning does not necessarily indicate that there is harmful bromine or
chlorine levels in the product, as confirmed by the Ecology Center in the
report. XRF scanning may only indicate that there is detectable bromine or
chlorine in the component being scanned. Britax does not and has not used
any halogenated flame retardant chemicals that have been banned from being
used or produced.
In order to continually stay ahead of any impending regulations on these
types of chemicals, Britax has recently created a new chemical compliance
specification that expands the focus of reducing and/or eliminating the
usage of all chemicals containing bromine or chlorine to all components, not
just those that are in close or direct contact with children. This new
specification has several technical challenges but we fully expect that all
suppliers will be compliant by the end of 2012.
BRITAX Child Safety, Inc. continually strives to provide the safest children
’s products both from a dynamic performance standard and in protecting
child occupants and care givers from exposure to any potentially harmful
chemicals and substances contained in all of the components and finishes on
our products.