Exemptions to the children's sleepwear flammability standards: A description of policy considerations and an evaluation of the effects on burn injuries to children

In 1996, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) amended the children's sleepwear flammability standards to exempt sleepwear sized for infants aged 9 months or younger and tight-fitting sleepwear for older children. These amendments were adopted after CPSC concluded that they would provide consumers a wider selection of children's sleepwear without diminishing the protection provided by the standards. They were also issued in response to an apparent preference for untreated cotton garments by many parents and difficulties in enforcing the pre-amendment standards. Nevertheless, the amendments were controversial. Some interested parties opposed them because they believed the exemptions would substantially reduce the level of safety for children. The amendments were also subjected to congressional scrutiny; in 1999, after they had gone into effect, Congress required that the Commission consider revoking them. To address these concerns, in cooperation with the American Burn Association and Shriners Hospitals for Children, the CPSC initiated a national study of child clothing-related burn injuries treated in burn center hospitals. From 2003 through 2005, the CPSC collected information on 475 such injuries. This study evaluates the burn center data to help determine the safety effects of the amendments to the sleepwear standards. The results provide no evidence of increased risk of burn injury associated with the exemptions from the sleepwear standards. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2009.