From lead toy scares to baby bottle issues, being a parent these days means you can’t trust that what’s for sale is always safe. ABC2 News Joce Sterman tells us about another hazard that’s been lurking in a product for kids.
It's the look of brand-new baby furniture that gets parents excited to build their nursery. But it's what you can't see lurking inside parts of some kids furniture that could make your baby's room a real hazard. According
to Maryland Public Interest Research Group, some of the items on the
market contain formaldehyde, a chemical often used in glues and paints. It
can be dangerous at higher levels, which were found in six out of 21
pieces of kids furniture tested in a new study published by Maryland
PIRG. Here’s a list of the Top Six tested products (in terms of emitting the highest indoor levels of formaldehyde):
| PRODUCT | MANUFACTURER | RETAILER |
| Child Craft Oak Crib | Child Craft | Target |
| Bridget 4-in-1 Crib | Delta | Wal-Mart |
| Kayla II Changing Table | Storkcraft | Babies R Us |
| Berkley Changing Table | Jardine Enterprises | Babies R Us |
| Country Style Changing Table | South Shore Furniture | Target |
| Rochester Cognac Crib | Storkcraft | Target |
As
for the testing, Maryland PIRG State Director, Johanna Neumann, says,
“Some of the furniture we tested for this report could create levels of
formaldehyde as high as 75 parts-per-billion. That poses a real health risk to the children that are exposed."
So, what kind of risk are we talking about? Experts say exposure to higher levels of the chemical could cause respiratory problems, even allergies and asthma. Despite that, there's little being done to regulate the industry. Neumann says, "Maryland has no laws on the books to protect consumers from formaldehyde in consumer products." And Maryland PIRG wants the state to step up and start cracking down on this issue. But
for now, it's up to parents to watch out for studies like this most
recent one, knowing that may be the only way they'll find out the truth
about what they're buying. Mom Joan Plisko says,
"Just because a product is sold on the shelf of a store doesn't mean
it's safe for me and my children. This is alarming."
