Leading baby products companies like Fisher Price say that they don’t want parents to be confused about toxic flame retardant chemicals that may be used in many children’s products. So why is Fisher Price refusing to give a straight answer to parents who ask about flame retardants in their products?

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is co-sponsoring a bill that would require labels to let parents know whether flame retardant chemicals -- substances linked to cancer, infertility and other health problems – are used in the products they buy for their children. We believe that parents have a right-to-know when products they buy for their children and families do or do not contain harmful chemicals. Fisher Price is opposing the bill – they claim that labels would “confuse” consumers.

But what’s really confusing is the response that Fisher Price gives when parents ask the simple question: are your products made with flame retardant chemicals? Here’s a recent email from Fisher Price to one parent:

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This seems straightforward – there are no flame retardants added to fabrics in Fisher Price products, hooray!

But wait – many parents may not know this, but flame retardants are most likely to be in the foam, not primarily the fabrics in products like foam-filled high chairs, strollers, baby carriers and other products.  And could there be flame retardants in other parts of the product?  They don’t say.  Why is Fisher Price giving parents this misleading, confusing information – and then turning around and claiming that a simple product label as written in the bill that says the product “contains added flame retardant chemicals” or “contains NO added flame retardant chemicals” would be too confusing? Fisher-Price claims that they put our children’s safety first – yet the company is one of the Directors of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, a trade group that has joined with the chemical companies that make toxic flame retardants in opposing labeling.

CEH has joined with new Mom and seasoned Nurse Practitioner Erica Peters Blaauw in a petition urging Fisher-Price to stop lobbying against parents’ right-to-know! If you agree that parents have a right-to-know about dangerous chemicals in children’s products, please sign our petition today!