Safe Children's Sleepwear-Update

In July of 2003, the CPSC, working together with the ABA and Shriners, launched the National Burn Center Reporting System (NBCRS). The NBCRS is a data collection effort designed to capture information on all burn incidents involving apparel-related burn injuries to children under the age of 15. It is a permanent program whose goal is to expand the sample size of burn injuries directly related to children's sleepwear. The information may be reported to CPSC without HIPPA concerns, as specifically provided in the law. 

The CPSC has made a serious commitment to this new system, and it is imperative that burn centers do the same. More than 100 burn centers across the country are eligible to report. The results collected in this study can influence needed regulatory changes.  Funds, in the amount of $20 per incident report and $100 per garment collected, are available from CPSC for burn centers to offset any costs associated with the the reporting process.  Susan Browning of ABA Central Office staff is available to answer any questions you may have; she may be reached at 312-642-9260.

Again, we want to stress how critical it is for burn centers to provide their full and active participation in the new CPSC reporting system. Your efforts here will demonstrate ABA's ability and credibility to provide evidence-based information on this and other critical regulatory and legislative issues. Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this critically important initiative.

To participate in this important initiative by reporting a children's sleepwear burn incident, go to http://www.cpsc.gov/burnctr.html or contact Laura Noble, program manager for the NBCRS, at LNoble@cpsc.gov.

CPSC Data Collection Press Release

Legislative History
In 1996, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 2-1 to lower a long-established standard, and permit the use of flammable material, such as cotton, in older children's sleepwear as long as the garments were snug fitting and presumably more difficult to ignite. The safety standard was dropped completely for sleepwear for children younger than nine months. The decision overturned a 1972 requirement that all children's pajamas, nightgowns and other sleepwear be made of flame-resistant materials. Since the CPSC lowered the safety standards for children's pajamas, Shriners Hospitals for Children, which treat more than 20% of all major pediatric burn injuries in the United States, has experienced a significant increase in sleepwear-related burn injuries. Legislation to repeal the 1996 CPSC amendments was introduced in past sessions of Congress, but was not passed into law.