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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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