Dr. Jim Sprott

OBE Msc PhD FNZIC

Consulting Chemist
Forensic Scientist

 

Look at Cots to Isolate Possible Cause of SIDS

 

by Dr Jim Sprott

Cot death has caused the deaths of about a million babies worldwide over the past 40 years. It occurs mainly in western Europe, North America and Australasia. It is the result of inadvertent environmental pollution and is the greatest such disaster of this century.

I believe SIDS is caused by gaseous poisoning and the poison comes from the mattress where the baby sleeps. The gas is formed by the action of an otherwise harmless fungus on certain chemicals within the mattress.

The identity of the poison was elucidated by Dr B.A. Richardson, consulting scientist of Winchester, Britain, who researched this topic following a suggestion by Mr P.R. Mitchell, also of Winchester, that a component in certain cot mattresses might be the cause of SIDS.

This proved to be the case and Dr Richardson's research now explains every known facet concerning SIDS.

In addition his findings also provide an easy means of eradicating it. The "Richardson hypothesis", as it has become known, has been published widely during the past six years.

Mitchell and Richardson met when sitting together at a Rotary function. Mitchell manufactures and rents out marquees which are made of PVC plastic, but he had found that the plastic became hard and brittle after some use. Richardson (a specialist in the degradation of materials) was asked to investigate the cause. Richardson could explain immediately: the destruction of the plasticiser in the PVC by a fungus. From that chance discussion in 1989 came the discovery that finally elucidated the cause of SIDS. Prior to this, in 1986, after studying the problem of SIDS for some years, I had already realised that:

• SIDS is due to gaseous poisoning

• the gas is heavier than air, with little or no odour

• the gas affects the baby's nervous system so that breathing stops as does the heart

• the gas is probably produced by micro-biological action on something in the baby's cot; but I was not able to identify the gas.

Once Richardson's findings were published in 1989 this dilemma was solved.

He identified three such gases that were generated from mattresses on which babies had died of SIDS. These gases are phosphine, arsine and stibine, all extremely toxic "nerve gases". They are produced by the action of the otherwise harmless fungus scopulariopsis brevicaulis on substances containing phosphorus, arsenic and antimony. These elements are often present in cot and other mattresses.

This finding was made public in mid-1989 and the SIDS rate in Britain started to fall immediately. It has continued to do so and is now less than 10 per cent of what it was five years ago and is still falling. It is now only a fraction of the rate in New Zealand.

During the six years since Richardson published his discovery there has been much opposition to it by the conventional SIDS researchers, both in Britain and New Zealand, but not a single valid criticism of the hypothesis has been put forward.

The cot mattress manufacturers in Britain and the retail trade there have all adopted Richardson's proposals, the public has taken the research seriously and it has also been the subject of intense media interest.

Regrettably the opposition from the Cot Death Association and some well known researchers in New Zealand is still as determined as ever.

Based on this finding there is a simple solution to SIDS.

SHORT TERM
Cot mattresses should be covered with thick "natural" colour polythene sheeting (not PVC), firmly secured beneath the mattress with strong adhesive tape. The covering beneath the mattress should not be airtight.

LONG TERM
Cot mattresses should comply with the following specifications:

1. No amount of any compound containing any phosphorus, arsenic or antimony should be added to any component of any mattress intended for use by infants.

2. No detectable phosphorus, arsenic and antimony.

3. The lower limits of detection should be stated in the analytical report and preferably should not be greater than 0.001 per cent.

4. Any claim made by a manufacturer that any cot mattress meets this requirement should be supported by an analytical report to this effect from a recognised analytical laboratory.

Mattress in this context means whatever the bedding, blankets, sheets are placed on, including sheepskins.

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Article reprinted from the September 15, 1995 issue of the New Zealand Doctor (P.O. Box 31 348, Milford, Auckland, NZ.)

Copyright 1995 by New Zealand Doctor.