Study: Some Kids Car Seats Have Toxic Chemicals

WASHINGTON (CBS4) – When you put your child in his or her car seat, you may be exposing them to toxic chemicals.

A study that tested children's car seats found that six-out-of-10 car seats contain at least one toxic chemical and some contain several.

The research, by Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental group, was conducted on 150 seats in three categories: infant, convertible and booster. The study was reported by Ecology Center and HealthyStuff.org.

The 2011-model car seats were tested for bromine (associated with brominated flame retardants), chlorine (indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC and plasticizers), lead, other heavy metals, and allergens.

The nonprofit named what it deemed the most and least toxic among those studied.

Most Toxic 2011 Car Seats:

Infant Seat: Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black & Graco SnugRide 30 in Asprey

Convertible Seat: Britax Marathon 70 in Jet Set & Britax Marathon in Platinum

Booster Seat: Recaro Pro Booster in Blue Opal & Recaro ProSPORT Toddler in Mist

Least Toxic 2011 Car Seats:

Infant Seat: Chicco KeyFit 30 in Limonata, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay & Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche

Convertible Carseat: Graco Comfort Sport in Caleo, Graco MyRide 65 in Chandler and Streamer, Safety 1st OnSide Air in Clearwater, and Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 in Gabe

Booster Seat: Graco Turbo Booster in Anders

Overall, the nonprofit said, car seats are improving in terms of their toxicity levels. Since 2008, when the Ecology Center began this research, average car seat rankings have improved by 64 percent.

Research was also conducted on models by Alpha Sport, Baby Trend, Clek, Compass, Dorel Juvenile Group (Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Maxi-Cosi, Safety First), Evenflo, Fisher Price, Harmony Juvenile, Orbit Baby, Peg Perego, Sunshine Kids, Teutonia and The First Years.