Britax Marathon at Costco

[gujer]

I just bought a MA (Onyx) at Costco in MD for $228
on Aug 29th, 2008
Manufacture date July 2008

[neeleymartin]

do you still have your receipt? check out this website:

http://www.healthycar.org/press.releases.php

MA onyx has high levels of toxicity. not sure why they make it still. reminds me of the BPA issue. some parents are bothered by it, while others are not.

we really liked the look of that seat as we were shopping for our roundabout, but went with the cowmooflage instead. some colors (dyes) must be worse than others.

neeley

[gujer]

Wow, that's interesting. Is this a reliable source? Who is doing the testing on these seats? I will contact Britax next week and see what they have to say about it. Thanks for the info.

[gujer]

Intersting info in following link
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=55192

[neeleymartin]

Wow, that's interesting. Is this a reliable source? Who is doing the testing on these seats? I will contact Britax next week and see what they have to say about it. Thanks for the info.


not sure who does the testing but it's a .org, they are non profit not looking to make any money.

let us know what britax says. i have a feeling they will stand by their product, same as dr. brown did with all the bpa worries.

i'll be interested to hear your info.

neeley

[o_mom]

not sure who does the testing but it's a .org, they are non profit not looking to make any money.



Which does not mean that they are unbiased, either...

[neeleymartin]

"healthycar.org is a project of the ecology center."

who are they:

"The Ecology Center (EC) is a membership-based, nonprofit environmental organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded by community activists after the country's first Earth Day in 1970, the Ecology Center is now a regional leader that works for a safe and healthy environment where people live, work, and play.

Our Mission: The Ecology Center is a Michigan-based nonprofit environmental organization that works at the local, state, and national levels for clean production, healthy communities, environmental justice, and a sustainable future."

i am pretty sure that this is legit. a group of people (large) trying to keep the earth and it's inhabitants healthy.

as far as biased. there are car seats by all manufacturers mentioned. certain colors are higher in toxicity. for example, britax tan swirl-safe, onyx-toxic. unless they are out to control car seat colors all over the world, i feel comfortable trusting their findings.

when i heard about bpa bottles. i switched. i would do the same for my car seat. i'm overly cautious with chemicals and feed organics to my child. use the info however you choose.

good luck,
n

[o_mom]

I'm just saying that being a .org doesn't mean there is no agenda. Not specifically about this group, but in general. I certainly would not go to peta . org if I wanted unbiased information about ground beef. As well, non-profit does not mean no money. The salary of the executives of many non-profits would pay off our mortgage. .orgs don't stay around very long if there is no money.

As far as this particular report, they state over and over in the report that none of their findings have shown any effects. They cannot say if these chemicals are accessible to a child sitting in it or even if the levels are unsafe. The grading is all relative, too, so the difference between the best and worst may or may not be significant at all.

I am not saying not to exchange it or look for one that is rated lower if you like, but to weigh the quality of that information before rushing off insisting that Britax/Evenflo/Graco/Dorel is trying to poison kids and cover it up.

[bubbaray]

I wouldn't worry too much about the flame retardant chemicals on car seats in general. I would think they would off-gas once you air them and certainly after you wash the cover after the 1st accident/puke-fest.

Its personal choice, but if I otherwise wanted the Onyx cover, I wouldn't let the chemical rating deter me. Just wash the cover (follow directions in manual -- hand wash and hang dry) and it should be fine.

[gujer]

Check out this link from the Today Show about Bromide (toxin) in flame retardants. This is the same toxin in the onyx car seat. Hope this helps.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/26543669#26543669