For many families, whether or not baby gear has chemical flame retardants is of importance. And for good reason. Flame retardants are toxic chemicals that are linked to thyroid disruption, memory and learning problems, delayed mental and physical development, lower IQ, advanced puberty, hormone disruption and reduced fertility.
With UPPAbaby being a popular stroller and car seat brand, let’s look at whether or not they use chemical flame retardants.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. What does this mean?
Yes, UPPAbaby does use flame retardants on some of their products, but not all.
UPPAbaby does not use chemical flame retardants in any of their strollers.
Some UPPAbaby car seats contain flame retardants but some don’t. It depends on the color.
Only the car seat colors “Henry” and “Jordan” are flame retardant-free.
From the UPPAbaby website: “The JORDAN and HENRY MESA fashions pass federal fire safety testing (FMVSS302) without the application of chemical flame retardants and without brominated and chlorinated chemicals favored by other car seat manufacturers. High-grade Merino wool blend bonded to foam makes the HENRY and JORDAN MESA fashions naturally fire-resistant infant car seat solution.“
UPPAbaby only offers the flame-retardant free colors “Henry” and “Jordan” in their infant car seat, the Mesa. These two colors will cost you slightly more than the other colors.
Henry is described as a blue marl and Jordan is described as a charcoal melange.
UPPAbaby also offers a booster seat called the Alta, but none of the colors are flame-retardant free. UPPAbaby also once had a convertible car seat called the KNOX that had a flame-retardant free option, but it was voluntarily pulled from the market less than 2 months after it was released. More on that here.
Related: What Happened to the KNOX?
Unfortunately, UPPAbaby does use PFAS in their products.
PFAS, or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are harmful chemicals that bioaccumulate in the body (meaning they stay in the body for a long time). This is how they get the nickname “forever chemicals”. Science is still studying the negative health impacts of PFAS but evidence is showing that negative health impacts include including liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer.
PFAS chemicals are often found in chemicals stroller manufacturers use to make them stain-resistant and water-resistant.
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