Could mold be a cause behind Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? The answer is not so clear cut. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the leading causes of death among babies, and it’s probably due to many different causes. Risk factors include low birth rate, sleeping positions, exposure to tobacco, and premature birth. But now a study in New Zealand shows a complex but undeniable connection between SIDS and mold that shows that SIDS is easily preventable.
Dr. Jim Sprott first noticed how the rate of SIDS would increase as the number of babies in a family increased. He theorized that many families kept reusing the same crib mattress for each new baby. When liquids like juice, milk, or urine would spill in the bedding, this would start to make the mattresses moldy.
Sprott doesn’t think the mold causes SIDS, but the gases produced from the mold. Mattresses are made from fire resistant chemicals, a mandate enforced by the government. These chemicals, such as phosphorous, arsenic, and antimony are poisonous. So when mold starts to feed on a wet mattress, it lets out these chemicals as a gas into the air. These poison gases are then inhaled by a baby, especially a baby sleeping on its stomach.
The statistics speak louder than the theory. Since 1994 New Zealand has advocated a mattress-wrapping campaign. Between uses, mattresses should be sealed in a tight plastic polyethylene cover to prevent mold and mildew from building up. This small change has dropped the SIDS rate in New Zealand by 70%. This has been the only change in New Zealand’s stance on SIDS, which was once one of the highest rated nations for SIDS.
Regardless of flame resistant mattresses, mold is especially dangerous to infants because of their developing immune systems. Studies have shown babies born during mold season are three times more likely to develop asthma. In fact, most people with asthma today probably have it because they were exposed to mold as an infant. Additionally, mold has been linked to pulmonary injuries that caused deaths for six infants in Cleveland in the 90s.
If you have a baby, please make sure they are in a mold free environment. Infants are most susceptible to mold and they can’t tell you their symptoms. It’s best to be cautious than to take risks with a child’s life.
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