Science / Medicine : Cushions Linked to Infant Deaths

Beanbag cushions can suffocate an infant who lies face down in them, and some deaths once attributed to the mysterious Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may have been caused by the cushions, new tests have confirmed.

The study was conducted by Drs. James S. Kemp and Bradley T. Thach of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Their work, the researchers said, shows that there is a need to reassess the cause of death in 28% to 52% of the SIDS victims found with their faces straight down.

The study, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, comes one week before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is scheduled to meet to consider a ban on such cushions to eliminate the risk of deaths.

The commission warned in March, 1990, that the products were hazardous and has spent the past year trying to recall about 950,000 cushions.

Spokeswoman Elaine Tyrrell warned that many consumers may have the cushions stored in closets and attics, and as people forget about the danger, more babies could die.

The cushions “were a novel idea,” she said. “They kept the infant stationary and they created a nest so the baby wouldn’t roll off. But they also created a situation where the infant is rebreathing his own exhaled carbon dioxide, and therefore he’s going to suffocate.”

The commission knows of 37 infants who were apparently killed by the cushions, she said.