By Tony Iallonardo
Communications Director
Twenty three U.S. Senators wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency this week expressing dismay that nap mats commonly used by children were found to contain known toxic chemicals.
Earlier this week our blog reported that the foam padded nap mats kids are sleeping on in day care centers across the country might contain dangerous chemicals. The testing was done by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and found nap mats sold throughout the U.S. contain harmful flame retardant chemicals. Children sleeping on them breathe in fumes and dust linked to serious health problems like cancer, hormonal disruption. Only two of the 24 nap mats tested by CEH were free of harmful flame retardant chemicals.
The Senators called on EPA to prioritize the testing of these chemicals and report back to Congress. Most of the signers of the letter are champions of the Safe Chemicals Act, which would reform our outdated toxics laws and improve testing, and disclosure while limiting children’s exposure to chemicals linked to cancer, learning disabilities and other problems. The bill cleared the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the last Congress and we are looking forward to its reintroduction in the next few weeks.
