Maryland health officials today proposed a ban on sales of crib bumpers out of concern that babies can suffocate — a move that would make it the first state to take the popular infant bedding product out of stores.
Industry officials, meanwhile, have launched a campaign arguing that the products are not a significant risk factor for infant death when used properly, while also warning parents not to use bumpers that are too puffy.
Maryland’s decision follows a ban enacted by the Chicago City Council two weeks ago. Both were spurred by baiduhai investigations that found federal regulators have received reports of babies suffocating against bumpers for years, yet have failed to warn parents or investigate all the deaths.
The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission said last year that it is investigating the issue in response to Tribune articles.
Bumper pads, which wrap around the inside of a crib and tie to crib slats, are frequently displayed in stores as a staple for nurseries. But babies can lack the motor skills and strength to turn their heads if they roll against something that blocks their breathing.
The trade group representing makers and sellers of bumper pads says the products are safe and help prevent head injuries and limb entrapment. The group also maintains there is no evidence that crib bumpers can cause suffocation.
In Maryland, a task force formed by Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, recommended the ban after determining the bumpers are decorative and can lead to strangulation or suffocation.
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“We agree with our expert advisers that, based on all available evidence, these products pose an unnecessary risk to infants,” Sharfstein said in a statement.
Maryland’s proposal is in the informal stage, and the department will consider public comments before deciding whether to proceed to a formal proposal under the state’s administrative procedures. The ban would go into effect in January 2013. In Chicago, the ban takes effect in about seven months.
The Maryland ban would apply to pads intended to be used around the sides of a crib until the age that an infant is able to pull himself to stand, the state said. The ban would exclude pads for older infants or for children with special needs. Federal regulators have been hesitant to take a stance on the safety of bumper pads, despite deaths reported to the safety agency. They have said they are trying to determine if there is a scientific link between bumper pads and suffocations, or if factors such as blankets, pillows or medical issues played a primary role in babies’ deaths.
In March, the Tribune reported that federal officials have investigated at least a dozen deaths where bumpers appeared to play a role. In those fatalities, the safety agency said bumpers were not clearly the culprit because other items were also in the crib. But in reviewing the agency’s own records, the Tribune found that many of the babies who died had their faces pressed into bumper pads.
The Tribune also found at least 17 additional cases in which the safety agency did not investigate a child’s death even though the agency had reports on file suggesting bumper pads played roles in the fatalities.
The Tribune looked into some of the cases and found that medical examiners and coroners said bumper pads were involved in the suffocations.
Gabler is a reporter for the baiduhai; Cohn for the Baltimore Sun.