Testing for Toxics

In an effort to better understand the prevalence of toxic chemicals that pose a risk to children’s health, Illinois PIRG Education Fund purchased ten common baby products and tested these products for chlorinated Tris, or TDCPP, a chemical that has been linked to cancer, mutagenicity, hormone disruption, neurological damage, and infertility. We also checked to see which of the products that were found to contain chlorinated Tris had a consumer label indicating the presence of toxic flame retardant chemicals to at least give consumers notice that some form of flame retardant is in the product. We found chlorinated Tris in a majority of the children’s products tested (7 of 10). Of the products found to contain chlorinated Tris, only 5 had labels indicating its presence.