Siletz news letter., November 01, 1994, Page 13, Image 13

November 1994
A Possible Explanation for
Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome
Science is often only in the
spotlight when an important discovery
has been announced, yet the vast
majority of scientific endeavors occurs
well behind the public limelight. The
process of science involves formulating
and testing hypotheses, and often, like
in the search for a cure of AIDS or
cancer, finding answers can take many
years or even decades and can involve
many false steps. One such example is
the case of sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS) or crib death, which
tragically takes the lives of many
infants each year.
Little has been
known about the cause of this tragedy
until recently when a chemist from
England fell upon a chance finding
which has led to the formulation of a
possible explanation for crib deaths.
The story begins when this
chemist was
hired
by
a
tent
manufacturer to study the toxicity of
various fire retardants in tent cloth. He
found that several fire retardants were
indeed toxic, producing extremely toxic
fumes. Upon further investigation, he
determined that the toxicity Was due to
arsenic and/or phosphorus in the fire
retardant, which when exposed to heat
and/or water vapor, reacted with an
airborne fungus to produce deadly
arsine or phosphine gases (used as gas
warfare in World War I). He presented
this evidence to the tent manufacturer
and they immediately stopped using
arsenic - or phosphorus-based fire
retardants.
. One day this chemist, who
chooses to remain anonymous, was
trade
magazine
and
reading
a
discovered that many crib mattresses
were impregnated with - the same
phosphorous - and arsenic-based fire
retardants he had studied earlier. He
did several tests and found that these
same gases were produced from crib
mattresses under conditions of warmth
and/or humidity, conditions easily
generated by a sleeping infant.
In
addition,
because
arsine
and
phosphine gases degrade very rapidly
(in less than a second) and therefore do
not travel very far from the mattress
surface, this hypothesis also explained
the reason why there is a high
correlation between crib death and
infants who sleep face down.
Based on this evidence, this
chemist went to the British government
to get these fire retardants banned.
Unfortunately, the British government
asked for more proof before they would
instigate a ban and, although the
British mattress manufacturers have
already begun to voluntarily change
their
fire
retardants,
the
toxic
retardants are still being used.
At
present there is a worldwide effort by
scientists, sponsored by the Company
of Biologists in England, to gather
enough evidence to get a complete ban
of these fire retardants.
The situation is compounded by
the fact that there are millions of used
mattresses
containing
these
fire
retardants that are still in circulation,
including
the
majority
of
crib
m attresses
in the United States.
Luckily, these old mattresses can
continue to be used if they are wrapped
in plastic sheeting which is impervious
to the gases. Thus, although the story
is not yet complete, a simple precaution
may prevent the loss of more lives to
SIDS.
13
17th
THE
GREAT
AMERICAN
SMOKEOUT
(Institute of Neuroscience, University of
Oregon)
Taking Aim At Smoking
n N ov. i f , America's 46 m illion smokers W ill be urged to take part in
the Am erican Cancer Society's 18th Great Am erican Smokeout. "The
Sm okeout is a light-hearted event with a serious message," explains
LaMar M cG innis Jr., the cancer society's president. "Sm oking is the most pre­
ventable cause of death in our society."
The record shows that the national day of non-sm oking has been very effec­
tive:
-• During last year's Smokeout, nearly three m illion smokers kicked the habit
for 24 hours.
• About 1.7 million of those smokers who quit during the Smokeout were still not
smoking ten days later.
S. 1
• O ver six m illion participating smokers reported they were sm oking less than usual
during the 1O-day period following the Smokeout.
H
Risky
Business
Start Out Slowly
f you are still smoking and want to quit, experts advise against going "cold turkey." They sug­
gest, rather, changing habits step-by-step.
he following is
1. A smoker should think first about reducing the number o f cigarettes smoked every day.
just a partial list
Watch others smoke, noting their negative appearances. Smoke in front of a mirror and objec­
of health prob­
tively evaluate what you see.
lems associated with
2. Talk to ex-smokers. Ask them how they quit.
cigarette smoking.
3. Start healthful activities (aerobics, swimming, jogging, etc.). Change to low-tar brands. Snip
• Shortened life span
an inch off each cigarette before lighting up.
• Lung cancer
4. Decide to quit com pletely, but don't set a date. Stop buying cartons; buy a pack at a time.
• Throat cancer
Affix the reasons you should quit on the refrigerator. Lengthen the time between each cigarette.
• Mouth cancer
Ask friends and fam ily to help you quit.
• Stomach cancer
5. After a bit longer, finally set the date. Sign a non-smoking contract with yourself. In the
• Bladder cancer
meantime, sit in non-smoking sections in public places. Postpone every other cigarette. Quit
• Cancer of the
with another smoker or group of smokers; moral support helps.
pancreas
6. Set a target o f not smoking for 24 hours. Plan healthful activities such as bike rides and
• Heart disease
walking. Get your teeth cleaned. Throw away all ashtrays.
• Bronchitis and
7. Then extend if for one week. Avoid places where there are smoking and drinking. Give your­
emphysema
self daily rewards for not smoking.
• Stillbirth and low
8. Next, try to extend yo u r non-smoking string for one month. Join an exercise program.
birth-weight
Practice relaxation or stress-reduction techniques. (Your local library has books on the subject.)
• Peptic ulcers
9. Next, see if you can stop for three months. Increase your exercise. Take a weekend holiday.
• Impairment of
Offer to help another smoker quit.
immune system
10. I f you stop for one year, congratulations! Gelebrate by throwing a party.
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