Some Unusual Causes Of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
On the list of horrifying things that can happen to a family,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is near the top. SIDS occurs
when a baby between the ages of one and six months mysteriously
dies in its sleep.
There are several causes for SIDS, and more are being discovered
each year. Being suffocated by bedding is certainly one of them,
as is being rolled on by parents and being a passive infant
smoker.
But there are two other reasons responsible for a significant
number of unexplained infant deaths.
Before World War Two, the number of SIDS (also called 'Crib
Death') incidences was not very high. There was a dramatic
increase in the number after the War, and it took quite a while
for researchers to identify the cause.
Post-war, the industrially developed nations promulgated laws
saying that crib mattresses had to be made fire retardant.
Manufacturers achieved this by adding fire retarding chemicals
to the mattress, which was a perfectly logical thing to do.
However, strange and deadly consequences resulted from this.
Common household bacteria and fungi such as scopulariopsis
brevicaulis ate the fire-retardants (which were often antimony,
phosphorus or arsenic) and emanated gaseous derivatives of the
toxic phosphine (PH3), arsine (AsH3)[4] and stibine (SbH3) gases.
These gases are more lethal than some of the well-known nerve
gases used by irresponsible countries in military warfare.
Carbon monoxide is but a feeble joke compared to them.
Body heat is what triggered the fungi to act. When urine, saliva
and vomit leached into the mattress, the process went into high
gear and even more gases were generated.
These gases rose out of the mattress and formed a layer. If
there was insufficient air circulation in the room, or if the
crib had solid, raised sides, this layer resided on the surface
of the mattress where the baby lay. The baby was thus enveloped
in a cloud of poison.
This phenomenon, which frequently occurs in the present day,
also explains why SIDS reduces if babies sleep on their backs
(as advocated by the American Academy of Pediatrics 13 years
ago), because in that case they do not have their noses in the
deadly gaseous soup.
The remedy for this toxic gas problem is to create an
impermeable barrier between the baby and the mattress, most
simply achieved by wrapping the mattress with polyethylene
sheet. The top and sides should be covered by folding down a
single sheet, then folding it again under the mattress and
fixing it there with sticking tape.
The bottom should not be airtight.
Alternatively, readymade polyethylene slip-on mattress covers
are inexpensively available from standard supply sources.
Statistics have shown that such mattress-wrapping dramatically
reduced the incidence of SIDS.
It would also help to keep the head of the crib at a higher
level than the foot, so that the gases are drained away from the
baby's head area.
The second significant cause of SIDS is vaccination. This cause
is exemplified by the shocking example of a 17-month old, active
girl who was given DPT, MMR and Hib vaccines in one sitting,
only to die the same night.
It is therefore worthwhile considering avoiding these vaccines
to the extent feasible.
This article is for information purposes only. Do not take any
decisions relating to your baby's health without the concurrence
of a competent pediatrician.