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Babesafe - anyone heard of it? Cotlife 2000

8 replies

sunnyside · 27/02/2006 13:43

I've been reading about research into SIDS and I came across Babesafe mattress wrapping and mattress covers which seem to have had a huge impact on reducing SIDS figures in New Zealand. Does anyone have any experience of the products or any more info cos the stuff I've come across seems compelling. Its on cotlife 2000.co.nz if u r interested

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sunnyside · 27/02/2006 13:44

My question really is if its that good why don't we all know about it?

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tarantula · 27/02/2006 13:47

AFAIR cot matresses in this country dont need to be wrapped as they are covered already and so its a waste of money.

Lots of (controversial) threads on this if you fancy a good read Grin.

LIZS · 27/02/2006 13:50

wasn't there a mattress wrapping obsessive who plastered the boards about 6 months ago ?

sunnyside · 27/02/2006 13:54

It wasn't me honest! My DS has a mattress cover on his cot bed mattress but its not one that would stop gases or whatever seaping through. I'd have thought it was a different thing but as I've said I don't know.

It sounds like it's been dismissed if it has already been discussed is that right?

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tissy · 27/02/2006 13:58

aargh! Can't search the archives at the moment, but you should be abl;e to do it later. Think one of the problems was that the person who was marketing the wrappings was the one who had done the reasearch to "prove" that it worked (but my recall is somewhat hazy!). If the research was top-notch and conclusive, you can bet that the FSID would be plugging it!

tarantula · 27/02/2006 14:01

Grin twas fairly sure it wasnt you SS. This women was very strange indeed. I did look inot this when dd was small but was put off by the fact that the only research (in fact the only mention) I could find about it was on the babysafe website itself. that in itself made me a bit sus. I then later found out that all matresses in this country are made to a specific standard and are covered in plastic stuff (or something....sorry dd is 2 now so Ive forgeotten all the techno stuff).to make them safe anyway.

tissy · 27/02/2006 14:05

This is from the FSID website:

"Projects 199, 200, 201 and 178/06 Antimony and the toxic gas theory
Dr C Dezateux et al, London (13/7/96), Dr Variend et al, Sheffield, Glasgow & Southampton (1996), Professor J Golding et al, Bristol & Sheffield (22/12/95), Dr M Thompson, London (1997)
A television programme in 1994 associated SIDS with exposure to antimony gases from cot mattresses even though the Turner Report (1991), commissioned by the Department of Health, had not substantiated this hypothesis. In particular, the Cook Report claimed that liver tissue from SIDS babies contained higher concentrations of antimony as evidence for the theory. As a result the Foundation funded several pilot studies to investigate these new claims. The studies aimed to:

Determine whether the concentration of antimony in liver tissue was increased in SIDS and to also look at lung tissue which was thought to provide a better marker of acute (short-term) exposure to ‘gases’.
Establish the range of antimony concentrations in the hair and urine of healthy babies.
Investigate whether antimony, if present, was due to exposure before and/or after birth to establish whether mattresses were the sole source.

Preliminary analyses of tissues from SIDS babies and controls showed no difference in the mean antimony concentrations between each group. This study found no evidence of increased liver or lung antimony associated with SIDS.

In another study very low concentrations of antimony were detected in the urine of healthy babies aged from birth to 18 months. Levels were very similar to those reported in normal healthy (non-occupationally exposed) adults. The presence of antimony in the urine of preterm infants suggests that exposure may occur before birth and that mattresses are not the only source.

Antimony concentrations were also measured in hair samples taken from 100 healthy babies aged 11 months and in matched samples of cord taken at birth. Most hair and cord samples contained detectable levels of antimony, albeit very low in cord. In hair the concentration range was wide but the results were within the expected range and were comparable with other SIDS and non-SIDS data. No relationship was found between levels in hair and matched cord blood.

Antimony appears to be commonly present in household dust (as indicated in preliminary analysis of dust samples) as well as the general environment. It is present at some level in a variety of samples from healthy infants and in tissue samples taken from SIDS and controls who have died of a known cause.

These studies do not show an overabundance of antimony in SIDS babies and will help to establish a baseline range for antimony concentrations in SIDS and healthy children.

Dezateux C, Delves HT, Stocks J, Wade A, Pilgrim L, Costeloe K. Urinary antimony levels in infants are low and unrelated to age or passive smoking. Child Care Health Dev. 1997; 23:423-424.

Jenkins RO, Craig PJ, Goessler W, Miller D, Ostah N, Irgolic KJ. Biomethylation of inorganic antimony compounds by an aerobic fungus: Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. Environ.Sci.Technol. 1998;32:882-885.

Basically,the studies do not show that there is a problem with Antimony, or that mattress wrapping will prevent it.

HTH

sunnyside · 27/02/2006 14:12

Wow thanks Tissy! Yeah, that website is the only mention I can find of it so as you say it does sound sus.

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