Effects of Flame on Fabrics Used in Baby Clothing
Daniel Gonzalez and Jasmyne Ross
Mission Early College High School
Abstract
Many fires in the world affect small children and leave them with unappealing, and painful burns. Do their clothes have something to do with the damaged caused to them in this fire? Well, flame retardant chemicals are widespread in children products, especially sleepwear. These products are treated with flame retardant chemicals that some parents worry could be harmful to their children. Flame retardant chemicals are also found in products that are especially made for children, such as car seats, and couch cushions, that may inherit some history of child association. Some, on the other hand do not carry these materials, mostly daywear, such as cotton or polyester clothing. Cotton fabrics in sleepwear are much more flammable then polyester fabrics, therefore, is not considered the safest fabric to wear as sleepwear, but they are being sold. Will the materials burn worse because they do not have the added chemicals that the sleep wears do? This experiment will bring that to conclusion.
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT ii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Problem Statement 1 Setting of the Problem 1 History and Background of the Problem 1 Scope of the Project 1 Significance of the Project 2 Definition of Terms 2
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 3 Sources Consulted 3 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN 5 Problem 5 Hypothesis 5 Operational Definitions 5 Assumptions 5 Limitations 5 Sample 6 Instruments 6 Data Collection 6 Time Schedule 6 Data Analysis 6
CHAPTER 4: SUMMARY OF RESULTS 6 Descriptive Data and Analysis 6 Inferential Data and Analysis 6 Other Observations 6
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 8 Conclusions 8 Recommendations 8
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS 9
WORKS CITED 10
Lists of Figures, Tables, or Abbreviations
Table1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Problem Statement
We are testing to see whether baby’s clothing is safe in the presence of flame. Will it be a fuel to the fire or will it put a stop to it? Cotton fabric is susceptible to flammability and is therefore not allowed to be used in baby clothing. We suspect that the fabric still used in baby clothing is not fully flame retardant. Non flame retardant baby clothing can be harmful to infants, considering the sensitivity of their skin. In America the preliminary number of births was 3,952,937 in the year of 2012. Four raw chickens will be used to imitate human skin. Three units of baby clothing, made with different types of fabric each, will be put on one pound of raw chicken each. Using a lighter, for a five minute time period the fabric will be lit on fire on the chicken. After the timer has gone off, the fire will be put out by suffocation, and the burns will be examined. The damage on each raw chicken will be recorded onto a data table. Is the fabric in baby clothes flammable or flame retardant?
Setting of the Problem
The research was conducted on the porch of a residential household.
History and Background of the Problem
It was determined by the 1970’s that pajamas must self-extinguish when exposed to an open flame for more than three seconds. Polyester then became a popular fabric because of its natural flame resistance. Unlike other fabrics, polyester also didn’t have to be treated with chemicals. In 1996 CPSC approved untreated cotton garments for baby sleep wear. Today there are only 1% of all baby pajamas that are actually treated to be flame resistant (McClintock, 2013).
Scope the Project
Why?
Significance of the Project
This is very important to most societies since most society’s value family and their children. Some households take precaution by buying flame retardant treated chemicals, while others are cautious to whether the chemicals can be harmful to their children’s health, and search for non-treated clothing. This is part of what makes
