MSc PhD FNZIC Remuera
Consulting Chemist Auckland 1005
Phone & fax
+64-95231150
23 July 2001
MEDIA RELEASE
COT DEATHS OF MAORI TWINS ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE
Dr Jim Sprott is
calling on the Ministry of Health to immediately endorse mattress-wrapping for
cot death prevention, following the cot deaths last week of twin babies in
Lower Hutt.
The twin baby girls
(aged two months) died of cot death on the same day, while both were sleeping
on the same mattress in a shared cot.
"These babies
were poisoned by toxic gas generated in their cot mattress or bedding,"
said Dr Sprott. "That's why they
both died, on the same mattress, within an hour of each other, even though they
were healthy babies. These terribly sad
deaths are further proof that cot death is caused by gaseous poisoning."
Following the twins'
death, Dr Pat Tuohy, Chief Advisor on Child Health at the Ministry of Health,
stated his opinion that the twins could have been subjected to an adverse
environmental factor at the same time.
"Dr Tuohy is
quite correct," said Dr Sprott.
"Cot death is caused by environmental poisoning."
Dr Sprott said that
over recent years he had provided Dr Tuohy with a considerable body of research
which confirms and supports the toxic gas explanation for cot death. Dr Tuohy was present at the SIDS 2000
Conference when a scientific expert reported proof of toxic gas generation from
sheepskins used as baby bedding.
"Dr Tuohy is aware of the six year nationwide mattress-wrapping
campaign, and that there has been no reported cot death on a wrapped mattress,"
said Dr Sprott.
"So why won't Dr
Tuohy advise parents to wrap mattresses so that babies are not exposed to the
toxic gases which can be generated in cots?"
Dr Sprott stated that
the death of the twins was entirely preventable.
Dr Sprott will be
contacting a Wellington lawyer regarding the possibility of group legal action
by cot death parents who were not informed by babycare advisers about
mattress-wrapping. He said that
possible defendants included the Ministry of Health, the Plunket Society, and
the National Child Health Research Foundation (the parent body of the Cot Death
Association).
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