designing for sleep surface breathability to save infant lives
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Mygoalinsharingthisincident andthelessonswelearnedafterwardissimple:Ijustwanttostartaconversationaboutsurfacebreathability.IfmywifeandIcansave1,000childrenbasedonwhatwelearnedbylosingmyowndaughter,thenoureffortsareworthit.
GiventhatCDCnumberssuggestthatover800kidsayeardiefromsuffocationorstrangulationinasleepsituation,Ithinktheopportunitymakethatgoaliswellwithinreach.
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As partofourresearch,weobtained25playard mattressesfromavarietyofsources,includinge-bay,thriftshopsandgaragesales.WetookthemapartandtestedtheairpermeabilityofthesurfacefabricusingASTM737.D.Measurementsareshownincubicfeetperminutethatcanpassthroughthefabricunder737.Dconditions.
Whatwefoundwasprettystartling:apatternwhereaclusterwasdesignedwithzeroairpermeability,anotherclusterhadgreatbreathabilityandafewfellinbetween.
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Let's lookatwhatthevariousrangesmeanintherealworld.
Ifyouweretoputtheseunitstoyourfaceandattempttobreathethroughthem,thisiswhatyouwouldfind.
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Thereisalonghistoryofvinyl coveredsleepsurfaceswithnobreathabilityatall.
Somechildrenwill"selfrescue"iftheyfindthemselvesfacedownonanonbreathablesurface.Thatis,theywillstartleandmove.
TheproblemisthatotherswillnotandifCO2levelsrise,theywillbeanesthetizedandfallintoadeathspiralleadingtoasphyxiation.
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We areawarethatlabelingwarnsagainstputtingtheinfantinaproneposition,oradvisestoalwaysputonback.
That'sgreatforastartbutdoesn'taddresstheriskitself.
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This issueisknownbynearly200,000peopleandit'sourhopethatwecanshowprogressratherthancreateagapbetweenconsumersandmanufacturers.
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Inthecase ofourdaughter,themattresssurfacewasfoundtobedefectiveduetoamplifiedriskofpositionalasphyxiation
Therewasasignificantjuryaward,whichnowhascreatedastrongincentivetogetthisright.
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SothisiswhereIamhopingmy contributionmakesadifference.
Therearealreadyproductsonthemarketwithsignificantbreathability.I'mjustaskingforthestandardtomakethatthenorm.
TwowaystomeasureincludeASTM737DairpermeabilityandC02Rebreathingtesting.
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