- Author
- Slater, J. A.
- Title
- Fire Incidents Involving Sleepwear Worn by Children Ages 6-12. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS TN 810, December 1973, 23 p.
- Distribution
- Available from Government Printing Office Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- accidents | burns (injuries) | children | clothing fires | death | FFACTS | fires | flammable fabrics | standards | statistics
- Abstract
- Sleepwear was the first fabric item ignited more frequently than any other item in over 1,900 fire incidents reported to the National Bureau of Standards Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and Testing System (FFACTS). Information acquired since promulgation of the current sleepwear flammability standard protecting children of ages 0-5 indicates a problem of comparable magnitude exists for children of ages 6-12. Of 316 incidents involving non-contaminated sleepwear that was first to ignite, about one-fourth involved children 0-5 years old and one-fourth involved children 6-12 years old. For the 6-12 group, sleepwear ignited first more often than all other garment items combined. Females outnumbered males 4-to-1 in the 6-12 group, due mostly to the involvement of nightgowns and kitchen ranges, the most common ignition source for this age group. Five of the 6-12 year old children died and 52 of 74 victims were hospitalized. Almost all of the first-to-ignite sleepwear in this group was cotton. Data from Shriners Burns Institute and the National Burn Information Exchange provide further evidence of the involvement of children ages 6-12 in garment fires. It is recommended that a new standard be issued covering sleepwear sizes 7 through 14 to effectively protect 6-12 year old children.