As a parent of breastfed children, this worries me.

Aug. 29, 2005— Breast milk of a startling number of mothers in the northwestern United States and neighboring Canada contains toxins from widely used flame retardants, a study showed on Friday.

The discovery of PBDEs in mothers milk suggests "a major environmental health concern" that demands "quick action," said Clark Williams-Derry of Northwest Environment Watch.

"It's time to stop using the flame retardants," Derry said. "Especially since safer alternatives exist."

PBDEs are a common insulator and fire inhibiter used in furniture, textiles and electronic gear, according to Derry. The chemicals are structurally similar to PCB, a cancer-causing fireproofing agent banned in the US in the 1970s.

I take care of my children. I ensure the outlets have covers, that wires and cords are out of reach, and that the house is kept in good condition to try to prevent accidents the best I can. Of course, you can’t prevent everything, but you can plan to deal with emergencies.

I do this not because the law requires I perform certain actions, but because I exercise common sense and I love my children. I don’t need some government bureaucrat making laws to tell me how to be a good parent. And things like this story are why.

I’m sure those people who made PBDEs mandatory had good intentions. But I never understood the reasoning behind fireproofing baby clothes. It’s not like your house could burn down and you could just walk up to the ruins and go “Oh, the baby’s OK. She was wearing the fireproof onesie!” The best thing to do is educate parents on certain dangers and let them decide what is appropriate.

So, now I have something else to worry about. Well, probably not as we don’t live in a state that makes flame retardant clothing a requirement. Of course, those asbestos crib sheets might be a problem….