Childcare Guide to Safer Alternatives: A purchasing guide to reduce exposure to flame retardants and phthalates

any environmental toxins are introduced to childcare facilities through the products care providers purchase. This type of behavior can be described as regrettable product purchasing; the products may perform their intended function, but they also introduce unintended chemical exposures. Regrettable product purchasing may occur for a number of reasons, including the need to meet ambiguous state regulations, a perception of increased cost for safer products, a lack of education concerning environmental toxins, and a lack of experience purchasing materials that are environmentally preferable. It is the purpose of this project to assess the current state of knowledge and risk perception of childcare providers in Massachusetts about toxins found in childcare products. In support, this project built two case studies for all childcare providers in Massachusetts that demonstrate the burden and cost of identifying problematic products that contain FRs and phthalates and replacing them with environmentally preferable products.