From: News@PeopleForCleanBeds.org [mailto:News@PeopleForCleanBeds.org]
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 8:28 PM
To: mark@strobel.com
Subject: CBS Boston, Sacramento, Children absorb 63 times more Poison from flameproof mattresses than EPA safe level, ABC Louisville
CBS Boston, Sacramento, Children absorb 63 times more Poison from flameproof mattresses than EPA safe level, ABC Louisville.
CBS Boston, 11-8-07
"Chemicals Prompt Concern About Mattress Standard"
CPSC says Children absorb 63 times more Poison from flameproof mattresses, every night, than the EPA says is safe.
The Boston news story interviewed Liz Harriman, of the Toxic Use Reduction Institute at University of Massachusetts, Cindy Luppi, of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, and a Mother named Gwendolyn Atwood. All are concerned about the toxic chemicals now being added to mattresses. The story concluded by saying, "The only way to get a chemical free mattress is by prescription."
CBS Boston also interviewed Ron Trainer of ISPA (the mattress manufactures association) who admitted manufacturers do use Antimony, but then he misstated the facts by saying Antimony could not get out of mattresses, and testing proved it did not get out. In fact, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) proved Antimony and more does leach to the surface of mattresses in large quantities and is absorbed by our bodies.
Please look at the CPSC risk assessment justifying the regulation, and you will see:
The CPSC proved Antimony and other toxic FR chemicals leach to the surface of mattresses and measured significant amounts of toxins contacting our bodies.
The CPSC says five-year-old Children will absorb .5 mg Antimony (Arsenic) from flameproof mattresses, every night. This is 63 times more Poison than the EPA says is safe! They also say the average adult will absorb .8 mg Antimony every night, and this is 27 times more poison than the EPA says is safe. (We may absorb much more than they predict as the CPSC assumed, without data, that we would absorb only two one-thousandths (2/1,000's) of the Antimony they measured leached to the surface and contacts our skin.)
Antimony is one of the acutely toxic heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, antimony) and is also known to cause cancer. Antimony accumulates in our bodies. Antimony is known to attack the lungs, liver, and heart muscle and may cause the heart to beat irregularly or stop. From an MSDS: "Warning - Substances known to the state of California to cause Cancer, Birth Defects or other Reproductive Harm - Antimony Trioxide." Antimony Trioxide is the exact form used in mattress fire barriers in concentrations of 2.4% to 4.5%. (CPSC Table 1)
See the CBS Boston video at: http://wbztv.com/video/?id=44507@wbz.dayport.com
CBS Sacramento, 11-2-07 "Chemicals in Mattresses"
The story was similar to the CBS Chicago story (9-24-07) and CBS Philadelphia story (10-11-07) as mattress factory employees complained of "Irritated Eyes, Chronic Sore Throats, Bloody Noses, and Painful Skin Rashes." Sacramento also interviewed Mark Strobel and Dr. Doris Rapp, MD, who say unsafe.
http://cbs13.com/seenon/Call.Kurtis.mattresses.2.481490.html
ABC Louisville, 10-23-07 "It's Like Sleeping on Rat Poison",
"Health experts believe that children up to six years old are most at risk because their vital organs and immune system are still developing." (The CPSC excluded children under age five from their risk analysis by assuming all will sleep on vinyl sheets due to bedwetting problems, and that this will protect them from the toxic chemicals in their mattresses. Even Crib mattresses must also be flameproof) See: CPSC risk assessment
See video of story: http://www.whas11.com/news/consumer/stories/102307whasjdlocalchemicalss.19d3aa9ab.html
We hope you will look at the facts as many journalists have done who have already reported this story. Since the July-07 flameproof mattress regulation effective date TV journalists across the country from CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX affiliates have featured this story in cities including: Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Phoenix, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Austin, Charleston, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kansas City, Boise, Milwaukee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, more.
Plus print news coverage from the American Chiropractic Association, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and more. The Chicago Tribune (Jul-07) exposed many risks of the regulation. It got admissions from industry and top manufacturers that they really are using toxic chemicals to flameproof mattresses including, Antimony (Arsenic), Boric Acid (Roach Killer), Silica Glass, and Ammonium Polyphosphate. Plus it quoted several top scientists and doctors who say this is unsafe.
Self Serving for Whom?
Mark Strobel has led the fight against the flameproof mattress regulation since 2003, 2.5 years before it passed in Feb-06 (By a 3-0 vote of CPSC commissioners, not an act of congress). Strobel was a normally conservative mattress manufacturer who had been in business for 30 years. After being unable to find a non toxic system to meet the regulation he became alarmed. With more research he became outraged at how toxic the systems were and decided to risk his reputation and speak out to sound the alarm. If you look at the Washington Post (May-05) and San Francisco Chronicle (Mar-05) articles Strobel generated before the regulation passed, you will see it was for no financial gain, only a sincere effort to stop the regulation and potentially save millions of lives. If you look at the Washington Post article you will see Strobel generated over 500 doctor and public comments against the regulation sent to the CPSC, in an effort to stop the regulation before it passed. These efforts earned Strobel two separate audits by the CPSC for compliance with mattress flammability standards. As part of continuing the fight Strobel now offers toxin-free prescription mattresses that avoid the regulation. Many people don't want themselves or their children absorbing poisons every night to avoid a one in 1.111 million mattress fire risk. So perhaps Strobel now makes a little money selling prescription mattresses. Is this better than the billion dollar mattress companies, owned by investment bankers that don't care about people, getting the money, and potentially poisoning people? These are the companies that pushed for this regulation for their own financial gain. We hope you will report this story. Doctors including Chiropractors can prescribe toxin free mattress and prescriptions are easy to get. The prescription also saves people the sales tax and makes the purchase tax deductible. And as a recent newspaper article pointed out, "Consumers can hope that if enough prescription mattresses are sold the regulation may eventually be reversed."
I Have Proof
Please, Please, look at it in the highlighted lines of the CPSC risk assessment. This is the same document proponents point to as proof it is safe. See the facts firsthand. The highlighted lines are a quick read and you will likely come to agree the risk greatly outweighs the benefit, and want to report this story.
Please call me at 812-282-4388. I can give you a lot more information, and send you a free media kit with a DVD of many of the video news stories. Or click here for free media kit and DVD.
President, Strobel Technologies, www.Strobel.com , www.PrescriptionBeds.com
Director, People For Clean Beds, www.PeopleForCleanBeds.org ,
3131 Industrial Pkwy, Jeffersonville IN 47130,
email: Mark@Strobel.com ,
fax: 812-282-6528,
phone: 812-282-4388
Additional Links:
Proof of Claims: See these facts and more firsthand in government documents at:
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/CPSC_Risk_Assessment_Selected_Pages_Highlighted_4.pdf
EPA Proves Flameproof Mattresses Toxic by 63 times for Children, 27 times for Adults
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/cdc-doctor.htm
TV news video clips, Magazine, and Newspaper Stories links
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/making-news.htm
Comments of People Sick from fireproof mattresses:
http://www.prescriptionbeds.com/people_sick.htm
Doctor, Public, and Retailer Comments:
http://www.strobel.com/retailer-comments.htm
Antimony Health Risks:
http://www.strobel.com/antimony_risks.htm
Pounds of Poison in Crib and Adult Mattresses:
http://www.strobel.com/Pounds%20Boric%20Acid.htm
Proponents Say and Rebuttals:
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/Proponents-Say.htm
Strobel's History of Fighting the Regulation
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/fight_history.htm
CPSC Table 1 of Chemicals really used to fireproof mattresses:
http://www.strobel.com/chemicals-in-beds.htm
Previous News Releases
http://poisonbeds.blogspot.com/
Mark Strobel, President, Strobel Technologies, www.Strobel.com , www.PrescriptionBeds.com
Director, People For Clean Beds, www.PeopleForCleanBeds.org ,
3131 Industrial Pkwy, Jeffersonville IN 47130, email: Mark@Strobel.com , fax: 812-282-6528, phone: 812-280-6000
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