Toxic substances such as hazardous flame retardants and chemical additives that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, hormone imbalances and allergies, have been found in 60% of children's car seats tested by the Ecology Center in Michigan, USA, while others were found to have virtually no dangerous chemicals in them at all.

You can see the full list of 2011 car seats they tested and the results in a report that they posted online today, 3 August, on the consumer website HealthyStuff.

Jeff Gearhart, Research Director at the Ecology Center, told the press there is no doubt that "car seats save lives". It was "absolutely essential" that parents put their children in car seats while driving, and this should be regardless of how the seats score in these kinds of tests, he added.

But, given the range of seats available, and that according to these tests some appear to be more toxic than others, then parents would do well to research the best car seat for their children, he urged.

The Ecology Center tested over 150 models launched in 2011 that are available to buy in shops and retail outlets in Michigan. In 2009 they tested 58 models and in 2008 they tested 131.

The brands they tested include: Alpha Sport, Baby Trend, Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Compass, Dorel Juvenile Group, Evenflo, Fisher Price, Graco, Harmony Juvenile, Orbit Baby, Peg Perego, Recaro, Sunshine Kids, Teutonia, and The First Years.

They tested for bromine (this is associated with brominated flame retardants or BFRs), chlorine (this indicates presence of PVC and plasticizers), allergens, lead and other heavy metals. These chemicals have been associated with allergies, cancer, liver toxicity, birth defects and impaired learning.

The tests revealed that: 44% of the 2011 models they tested contained BFRs that are either considered toxic or lack adequate health safety data.
60% of the 2001 models contained one or more of the hazardous chemicals included in the test, such as PVC, BFRs and heavy metals.
Things seem to be improving: percentage of car seats with BFRs went down by 18% from 63% in 2009 to 44% in 2011; and average number of toxins per seat improved by 64% from 1.5 in 2009 to 0.9 in 2011.
However, some makers are still using potentially more hazardous BFRs than other companies: for example Baby Trend (100%), Recaro (100%), and Britax (84%). The report says that when the chemicals in these products are exposed to heat and the UV rays in sunlight, they break down faster, and this can increase their potential toxicity.

Babies and infants are thought to be the most vulnerable group to this source of toxins because they are smaller (so proportionally, even a small amount of toxin has a larger effect), they spend more time in car seats, and their bodies are still developing.

Andy Igrejas, director of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, said the report reveals "how our country's major chemicals law -- the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 -- is flawed and fails to protect children from hazardous chemicals".

For a complete list of car seat rankings, both from 2011 and previous years' tests, and chemical composition visit HealthyStuff.

Sources: healthystuff, ecocenter.

Catharine Paddock, PhD