A Brief History-of-SIDS and Its Cause

Please keep in mind, in the history-of-SIDS...crib death was not a major problem in the US until after 1950. Why did 8,000 babies suddenly start dying from SIDS each year...after that date?

Researchers are taking a new look at the cause of SIDS. Have you ever read a flashy brochure that announces a “cure” for this or that…and you have classified the information as simply a new “snake oil” scheme? We’ve all been there, done that; however, skepticism in the past should not hinder truth when it really is discovered.

SIDS cause has stumped the medical community for one simple reason: good, well-meaning people have focused on the wrong root cause. They have looked for a medical cause instead of an environmental cause. This incorrect focus has occurred because of a “disconnect” between the real cause of crib death and its source, and what each researcher was focusing on—-bacterial or viral infection in the baby.

A little bit of history-of-SIDS will give some insights into the real cause of this insidious tragedy. In the late 1940s, governments began to pass laws requiring baby mattresses to be flame retardant. The cause is worthy. Who doesn’t want to protect our babies from fire and its dangers?

At that time, baby mattresses had cloth covers. Since babies tend to be a messy lot, parents used rubber sheeting to cover the mattress to keep the usual mishaps from seeping through the fabric. This very effective barrier protected mattresses from fungus and bacteria that could have formed toxic gases had the rubber sheets not been present.

Later in the 1950s, manufacturers began using plastic covers for baby mattresses instead of the original cloth. This innovation seemingly eliminated the need for the rubber sheets. Plastic is waterproof. Rubber sheeting became obsolete.

Ironically, simultaneously, crib deaths became more and more prevalent. Looking back in the history-of-SIDS, nearly eight thousand babies were dying a year in the United States alone. Why?

Because in the history-of-SIDS, the medical community looked for a disease or syndrome, focusing only on medical causes. No one connected the dots to the culpable mattresses. The “disconnect” occurred because of the time lapse between the inclusion of the poisonous chemicals required by the flame retardant laws of the ‘40’s, and the use of plastic as a shield for the mattresses.

The assumption was that the plastic mattress covers acted as an impermeable barrier to baby urine, feces, vomit, drooling, and perspiration. It never crossed the minds of these researchers or anyone else, including baby mattress manufacturers, to examine the mattress contents for fungus or mold.

Plastic is waterproof IF its molecular structure is such that liquids are not able to pass through it. Unfortunately, mattress manufacturers unwittingly are using molecularly-structured plastic that doesn’t keep liquids from permeating its surface. Fungus and mildew flourish, possibly creating toxic gases, in the innards of baby mattresses for this reason.

What do fungus and mildew have to do with the history-of-SIDS or crib death? Laws require baby crib mattress manufacturers to include compounds of elements of phosphorous, arsenic, and antimony in their mattresses to make them flame retardant. The fungus growing there because of the permeable plastic mattress covers combines with these flame retardant chemicals; given the right set of circumstances—overheating, fever from vaccinations, poor ventilation in a warm nursery—gases can form. These gases are more toxic than carbon monoxide. The permeable mattress plastic cannot contain the gases or act as a shield to eliminate the source of the fungus growth like the rubber mattress covers did. Therefore, poisonous gases created inside the mattress seep through the plastic into the baby’s crib.

A baby’s lungs do not fully develop until they are around one year old. These highly toxic gases silently suffocate our little ones as they sleep. These insidious gases paralyze the baby’s lungs so there is no warning or outcry—hence the “silent death.” This is especially true in the first four to five months when new babies are unable to move themselves away from the suffocating gases.

These gases are heavy and lie near the surface of the mattress. When a baby lies on his/her back, s/he is not as vulnerable to the toxic fumes. Hence, in the history-of-SIDS, deaths lowered to “only 3,000 a year” in the United States when the back-to-sleep campaign began. These gases can still kill, however, because the delicate pores of a baby can absorb these same gases, eventually bringing about the same result—crib death.

“Only 3,000 SIDS deaths per year” is simply not acceptable. ZERO SIDS deaths per year is what we have already experienced over the last ten years. We bring peace of mind…one baby at a time. This is a genuine, REAL solution!