Consumer response to the tris controversy: A research study

CONSUMER RESPONSE TO THE TRIS CONTROVERSY: A RESEARCH STUDY? CAROL Department

of Clothing

and Textiles.

(Receiced

College

Janwry

E.

AVERY

of Home Economics. FL 31301, U.S.A.

27. 1981: in rrrisedfotm

Florida

I-l Jfarch

State University.

Tallahassee,

1982)

.-\bstract-The purpose of the research was to study the possible long-term effects of the public controversy that arose when the most widely used flame retardant (FR) finish, Tris. was first identified as a potential carcinogen. Parents of children enrolled in IS selected nursery schools and day care centers in Rhode Island were surveyed to determine changes in their practices and in their attitudes toward the use of FR finishes for children’s sleepwear. Almost 85% of the 269 respondents had heard or read about problems with FR chemicals. Of these. only 68% remembered that Tris was considered to be a carcinogen and/or health hazard and only 20% reported appropriate changes, such as reading labels, in their purchasing behavior. Absence of Health Risk was the primary consideration used in the purchase of children’s sleepwear followed. in order. by Flame Retardancy. Comfort. Durability, Price, Ease of Care and Attractiveness. Despite the problems with Tris. most respondents felt strongly that FR garments should be available for a variety of population groups. They were less convinced that the government should set flammability standards and the majority wanted the freedom to choose between flame retardant and non-flame retardant garments for themselves and their children. Cluster and chi square analyses based on the criteria used in the selection of children’s sleepwear showed seven distinct patterns of response but few significant differences between the clusters in respect to opinions and practices. Additional chi square analyses did, however, show some relationships between demographic variables and respondents’ shopping practices, understanding of terminology, sources of information and opinions regarding the importance of FR garments and the expansion of government regulation. Many consumers appeared to be confused by the controversy. Specific recommendations for dealing with such problems need to be presented in a variety of media in order to reach different segments of the population: the often misunderstood term “flame resistant” should be retired from use; some non-toxic FR garments should be made available to all population groups; labels and promotional materials should be more informative: consideration should be given to the long-range health, safety and cost effectiveness of government regulations and more research should be conducted to increase understanding of consumer behavior.

Today’s families are bombarded with information concerning the potential hazards of a large variety of consumer products. A classic example was the 1976-77 controversy concerning the dangers of children’s sleepwear treated with the flame retardant (FR) chemical Tris. Tris (2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate had been widely used by the textile industry to meet the children’s sleepwear standards DOC FF3-71 and FF5-74. These standards were issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect young children from the risks of fabric related burn injuries and death. Tris is a low cost chemical that is easy to apply [Daniher, 19761. It can be added to acetate and triacetate during melt spinning or padded onto polyester, nylon and acrylic during conventional dyeing procedures [Harris, 19761. By 1976, approximately one-third of all children’s sleepwear contained Tris [Smith, I9771 with concentrations varying from 5 to 20% of the weight of the garment [Harris, 1976; Blum and Ames, 19771. The substance also proved to be an effective flame retardant. Injuries involving children’s sleepwear decreased from 12 to 15% of the burn injury total before 1971 to less than 5% between 1974 and 1977 [Bolieu, 19771. But some researchers were concerned about the chemical nature of Tris and the possibility. that it could be absorbed through the skin or swallowed by children who suck and chew on fabrics [Blum and Ames, 1977; Harris, 19761. Laboratory tests eventually showed Tris to be a skin irritant that caused allergic sensitization; a mutagen that could lead to genetic changes or birth defects; and a potential carcinogen that resulted in cancerous tumors in laboratory rats [Blum and Ames, 1977; Byrne, 1977; Harris, 19761. After almost a year of controversy, the Consumer Product Safety Commission used the provisions of the Toxic Substances Control tFunding for this project was supplied by the Dean’s Initiative of Rhode Island and technical assistance by Linda Eppich. 465

Fund.

College

of Human

Science

& Services,

University

%h

CtROL

E.

;\VERY

Act to ban the sale of children’s wearing apparel made from fabrics containing Tris (Federal Register 13. 1977). The ban was estimated to have cost the textile industry 200 million dollars plus legal fees [Clothes, 19773. But what about the costs to the consumer? \Vhat were the effects of the charges and countercharges, the contradictory testimony by expert witnesses. the twists and turns of agency directives? The debate was prolonged and acrimonious. The media reported that the country could expect 17,000 cases of cancer for every million children who had worn Tris treated sleepwear [Smith, 19773. Congress accused the Consumer Product Safety Commission. which had not been given the responsibility for considering the toxicological problems of the substances used to attain flame retardancy. of waiting until the last possible moment to deal with a serious health hazard [Schwartz, 19771. Other public officials loudly blamed the U.S. government for merchandising death by introducing cancer causing chemicals into the nation’s cribs [Smith, 19771. Media reports of consumer reaction were also contradictory. A report by Wonen’s Wear Daily [September 27, 19761 found the controversy to be having a minimal impact on consumers who seemed to be more concerned with the price, appearance and feel of sleepwear than with its flame retardant properties. In 1978. after the ban had gone into effect, retailers found some consumers asking for fabrics without chemical finishes while others seemed oblivious to the whole problem [Bolger, 19781. The sale of thermal underwear as a substitute for sleepwear was said to be soaring [Bolger, 19781. Other homemakers were reported to be making sleepwear with untreated fabrics or using hand-me-downs [Armstrong, 19771. University surveys done in the early 70’s [Rhodes and Noel, 1977; Zentner et al., 19771 showed consumers to have generally positive attitudes toward FR sleepwear, interest in expanding the use of flame retardancy to other types of apparel, and fairly strong preferences for government regulation, especially for young children and the elderly. A Louisiana survey [Kelly et al., 19781 conducted the week the information about Tris was first available to the public indicated increased concern with government control and greater demand for the freedom to choose between product properties. METHOD

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of the Tris controversy and to identify changes in consumer practices and attitudes toward the use of FR finishes for children’s sleepwear. The survey was conducted during the spring of 1978, approximately one year after the CPSC banned the sale of Tris treated sleepwear. This time frame was selected in hopes that the initial impact of the controversy would have dissipated and that some indications of its possible long-term effects might be obtained. Fifteen licensed nursery schools and day care centers participated in the study. Those that had been part of the previous study, and were still in existence, were invited to participate again. The remaining schools were randomly selected from other geographic locations within the state. After preliminary telephone contact, questionnaires with cover letters were delivered to the program administrators who, in turn, distributed and collected them from the parents of children in attendance on a given day. The cover letter for the parents stated the general purpose of the study and the researchers’ interest in the parents’ practices and opinions. Confidentiality was also assured. The response rate was approx. 44% with 295 of 670 questionnaires returned. Of these 269 were usable. The pretested, self-administered instrument was similar to the one used in the Northeast. Regional study of flame resistant textile items [Zentner et al.. 19771. The questions were designed to obtain information on: (I) consumer shopping practices, (2) criteria used in the selection of children’s sleepwear, (3) awareness of and responses to the Tris controversy, (4) knowledge of terms and problems related to the controversy, (3) sources of information, and (6) opinions concerning the continued or expanded use of FR garments. The majority of the questions asked the respondent to check the most appropriate answer(s). Two open-ended questions were used to determine (1) the most important thing the respondent had read or heard about problems with FR chemicals and (2) changes the respondent had made in purchasing children’s sleepwear as a result of the information read or heard. The questions concerning the

Consumerresponse totheTriscontroversy

46:

criteria consumers employed in the selection of children’s sleepwear was arranged in a forced choice format. Data from the 269 usable responses were subjected to chi square and cluster analysis. Each of the previously listed factors was related to selected demographic variables including individual experiences with fire and cancer. Results and characteristics of the respondents were compared with the Rhode Island data from the northeastern study in which 189 parents from randomly selected nursery and day care centers answered similar question [Zentner et al., 19771. Results were also compared with those of the Louisiana [Kelly et al., 19781 survey. RESULTS

ANDDISCUSSION

Characteristics of the respondents Most of the 269 respondents who completed usuable questionnaires for this study were female (94%). They were also young. 86% were under 35 yr of age, and well educated, 72% had more than a high school education. In the 1972 regional survey, fewer Rhode Island respondents were under 35 (81%) and only 45% had more than a high school education. The mean number of children in both studies was 1.5-1.6 per family and, by virtue of the research design, each family had at least one child enrolled in a day care or nursery school facility. Seemingly, major differences between the 1972 and 1978 surveys occurred in the employment status and incomes of the respondents. The number of full-time homemakers dropped from 52 to 42% and the number of mothers working at home from 19 to 2%. The number of respondents working at full-time or part-time jobs outside the home doubled from 24 to 48%. At the same time the number of families earning less than $15,000 decreased from 84 to 42% while the number earning more than $15,000 increased from 16 to 58%. These differences may indicate that the second survey was not quite as successful as the first in obtaining responses from low income families, but are more likely a result of major changes in the work force and the economy. U.S. census data, for example, reports the number of working mothers with children under age six rose from approx. 32.4 in 1972 to 41.6% in 1978. Similarly, median family income which stood at $11,116 in 1972 with 70% of the nation’s households earning less than $15,000 had, by 1978, risen to $17,640 with only 41% earning less than $15,000. During the same period the Consumer Price Index rose 64% [U.S. Department of Commerce, 19801. Another change since the 1972 study was the reduction in the proportion of households in which smoking occurred. The use of cigarettes decreased from 61 to 47%, pipes from 21 to 15% and cigars from 20 to 7%. Fewer respondents reported experiences with fire in their own homes (10 vs 14% in 1972) but more knew of relatives and friends who had experienced fire episodes (30 vs 20%). The extent of the injuries reported appeared to be less severe; 16% were hospitalized while 8% died compared with 33 and 22% in the earlier survey. Some of these differences are probably due to the higher educational levels of the respondents but may also reflect changes in values and/or the effects of educational campaigns by various health agencies and government organizations. The question concerning experience with cancer revealed that 83% of the respondents were acquainted with at least one person who had been diagnosed as having the disease. Almost 63% knew someone who had died of it. Experiences with cancer had not been investigated in previous studies. Knowledge, sottrces of information and opinions Respondents were questioned about their knowledge of problems with FR sleepwear and their awareness of the Tris controversy. They were also asked about sources of information. and their opinions concerning the expanded use of FR garments for children and other population groups. These respondents appeared to be slightly more knowledgeable about some of the terminology related to FR sleepwear than previous subjects. The average parent correctly identified 5.5 of the 7 terms included in the questionnaire. Most knew the meanings of the words flammable (97%), toxic (94%) and non-flammable (92%). Approximately three-fourths correctly defined carcinogenic (75%), mutagenic (720/o), and flame retardant (72%). Less than half (47%) understood the meaning of flame resistant which is synonymous with flame retardant. This means that respondents, who say they read a daily newspaper and 3 magazines

CAAOL E. -\I ~1

168

per week. are still not as knowledgeable as they might be of the terminology used by researchers and the news media. The same conclusion can be drawn in respect to the respondents’ knowledge of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and its functions. Twenty-two percent still did not know there was such an organization. Of the 767c who were aware of the commission, 70% recognized one of its purposes was to protect the public against unreasonable risk of injury, 68% that it develops safety standards, and 54% that it promotes research. Less than one-third (32%) knew the commission handled consumer complaints and less than one-fifth (19%) realized it was responsible for enforcing the Flammable Fabrics Act. Consumers appear to be generally ignorant of the one major government agency charged with their protection. When questioned specifically about the Tris controversy. almost 85% had read or heard about the problems with FR chemicals (Table 1). Of these, approximately 68% correctly remembered that Tris was considered a carcinogen or health hazard: 5% stated that it had been banned from the market and 2% thought corrective measures were being taken. Others (3%) learned that it was important to read labels for flammability information. Some respondents made subjective statements: health standards aren’t strict enough (l%), more research is needed (1%). flammability standards aren’t as necessary as business says they are (2%). A small number of respondents (8%) evidently remembered nothing about Tris related problems but said they learned it was important to use FR sleepwear. Two percent recalled an early statement by the CPSC that washing Tris treated pajamas before wearing them would remove the danger and one percent stated incorrectly that FR pajamas would melt or burn at high temperatures. The remaining respondents, a surprising 14%, had managed to miss, or forget, the entire controversy. The fact that less than 60% could accurately recall the issues of the controversy may indicate less long-term impact than originally hypothesized. The resources from which respondents who had heard of the controversy said they received information were varied. Newspapers and nationally televised programs were used by 74 and 72% respectively, magazines by 57%, and local television programs by 49%. Family and friends remain an important source of information for 35% of the parents, while radio broadcasts (21%). salespeople (I?%), bulletins and leaflets (18%) and meetings or classes (2%) are less important. A comparison with the resources reported in 1972 may be found in Table 2. Despite the problems with Tris and other FR chemicals, consumers appear to be overwhelmingly convinced that FR garments, not just sleepuear, should be available for children sizes 1-6X (94%), for handicapped (94%), elderly (92%). infants (91%), and for children sizes Table

I. Respondents’

recollections

of the Tris controversy

RESPONSES

Tris

is a carcinogen

It's

important

Tris

was

and/or

health

hazard

to use FR pajamas

banned

from

the market

It's important to read labels flammability information

for

Corrective

taken

measures

Flammability necessary as

standards business

FR pajamas should they are worn FR pajarras melt temperatures More

research

are

being

aren't as claims they

be washed

ot- burn

at

not

x

154

60

19

a

12

5

S

2

4

2

4

2

are

before

high

is needed

3

3

1

15

7

226

Total

Does

N

3

Other

l

equal

100

due

(II = 226)

to rounding

99*

Consumer response to the Tris contro\crs)

Table 1. Rsspondsntr‘

use

of information

SOCRCES II

%

790

77

Newspapers Magazines National

jourcsc, I,978 (n=226)

972 (n=1090) INFORPATION

49

television

N

a

167

74

129

57

162

72

111

49

605

Gl

353

36

78

35

285

30

41

18

Radio

263

28

48

21

Salespeople

187

20

26

12

a3

9

4

2

0

0

5

1

Local Family

television and

Bulletins

Classes NA

friends and

and

leaflets

meetings

7-14 (89%). There is less concern about adults but a surprising 75% felt FR garments should be available for this population group also. Respondents seemed to be somewhat less convinced that government regulation is the answer to health and safety problems. Approximately 80% thought the government should set standards for infants and children sizes 0-6X, 76% for the handicapped, 66% for the elderly, and 63% for children sizes 7-14. Only 39% were in favor of government standards for adult clothing, 19% were undecided and 38% actively opposed. The majority of respondents also felt that consumers should have the freedom to choose between FR and non-FR garments. Almost 85% wanted freedom of choice for adults, 68% for the elderly, 67% for children sizes 7-14, and 61% for the handicapped. Even for infants and young children, sizes 0-6X, more than half of the respondents (56%) felt parents should have a choice, while 35% were undecided. These data tend to support those of the Louisiana study [Kelly et al., 19781. Consumers seem to feel somewhat more favorable toward FR garments and the protection they offer than they were in 1972 when FR sleepwear was being introduced. They are, however, somewhat more skeptical of government regulation and strongly favor a variety of garment properties from which to choose. Shopping practices Several questions were designed to elicit information about consumer shopping practices. A number of changes were noted, both in the sources of children’s sleepwear and in the types of stores in which garments were purchased. Despite an overall increase in the income levels of the families in this study, the purchase of new ready-to-wear garments decreased from 82% in 1972 to 63% in 1978. IMore families reported “passing down” sleepwear from older family members or from friends (16% rather than 8%) and more received sleepwear as gifts (14% rather than 7%). The number of mothers who made sleepwear for their children (3%) increased by only 1% while the number who used underwear as sleepwear remained at 5%. These figures do not support media statements [Armstrong, 1977; Bolger, I9781 concerning the rush to substitute thermal underwear or home-sewn garments for traditional ready-to-wear sleepwear. They do, however, show a large increase in the number of hand-me-downs as reported by Armstrong [1977], but without further evidence concerning the age and fiber content of these garments there is no way of knowing whether they too had been treated with Tris. Changes in the types of stores in which garments were purchased include a decrease in the use of discount stores (from 22 to 14%) and a corresponding increase in the use of department stores (59%), specialty stores (10%) and mail order stores (8%). These shifts can probably be explained by increases in income levels and in the number of working mothers. When respondents were asked if they had made any changes in their shopping practices

Table 3 Chanecs in jhouDin:

uractices resultiw

CHAXGES

Did

not

Read

report

labels

Stopped

Bought

specific

and/or

sought

only

flame

in = 217

N

I

66

30

information

57

26

treated

43

20

24

11

9

4

6

3

5

2

2

1

2

1

3

1

action

buying chemically sleepwear

from the Tris controvuyp

retardant

sleepwear Stopped

Bought

buying flame sleepwear better

Stopped Started Washed

quality

retardant

sleepwear

buying

sleepwear

making

sleepwear

sleepwear

before

using

Other

TOTAL

l

Does

99*

217

not

equal

100 due

to rounding

because of information they had read or heard about FR chemicals, 96% declared that they had but only 70% gave specific examples (Table 3). Of these, 26% said they read labels more carefully. asked questions and/or looked for consumer information. Another 20% said they stopped buying chemically treated sleepwear. These can be considered appropriate responses except for the fact that labels seldom indicate the chemical finishes used on a garment. Approximately II% indicated that they now bought only FR sleepwear (which had been required for sizes 0-6X since 1971), while 4% no longer bought anything flame retardant including sleepwear. Smaller percentages attempted to cope with the problem by purchasing better quality sleepwear or name brands (3%), by not buying sleepwear (20/o), by making sleepwear (l%), or by washing s1eepwea.r before wearing (1%). These responses indicate some confusion on the part of consumers and a need for better labeling information and consumer education. Criteria used in the selection of children’s sleepwear A forced choice format was used to determine the criteria consumers employ in the selection of children’s sleepwear. Seven factors, from the literature, were grouped in pairs and randomly arranged on the second page of the questionnaire. Respondents were asked to divide the 10 points that could be assigned to each pair of factors according to the importance of each factor in their purchasing decisions. The total number of points that could be earned by each factor ranged from 0 to 60. Table 1. Mean

scores

for all respondents for criteria used in the selection of children’s sleepwear (n = 169) x

CRITERIA

Absence Flame

of

health

retardency

risk

41.0 34.1

Comfort

32.1

Durability

30.8

Price

26.2 Care

25.5

Attractiveness

20.5

Ease

of

Consumer

response

471

to the Tris controversy

The mean scores for all respondents (Table 4) indicates that Absence of Health Risk (x = 41) was the primary consideration consumers say they us2 in the purchase of children’s sleepwear. Flame Retardancy was next with a mean score of 34, followed by Comfort (3 = 31). Durability (% = 3 I). Price (% = 26) and Ease of Care (k = 26). Respondents appeared to be least concerned with Attractiveness which had a mean score of 21. These scores were next subjected to cluster analysis, a type of multivariate analysis in which the 269 respondents who completed the forced choice question were clustered or grouped on the basis of their scores on the seven criteria. Theoretically, the scores of persons within each cluster are more similar to each other than to those of persons outside the cluster. The analysis revealed 7 distinct clusters or patterns of response (Table 5). The largest cluster. Group I (n = 96). was most interested in sleepwear that was free of health risk and flame retardant. Its members were least interested in the costs of the garments. Group II (n = 16) was similar to Group I but listed health and safety in reverse order and placed price next to last. Group III (n = 46) was also concerned with health and safety, but felt price, listed third, was an important consideration also. The scores of Group IV (n = 50) indicate that a substantial number of respondents were extremely interested in eliminating any health risk but did not appear to be concerned with flammability. Conversely, Group V (n = 3), which is too small to be statistically important, was concerned with safety but not with health. Groups V,I (n = 49) and VII (n = 7) were more interested in the comfort, price and durability of children’s sleepwear than in its health and safety characteristics. Attempts to explain the patterns of criteria used by these respondents did not succeed. Chi square analysis showed a few statistically significant differences between clusters in respect to the respondents’ understanding of terminology, sources of information and opinions regarding the use of FR sleepwear, but the rationale for these differences was not always clear. The complete lack of significant differences between clusters in respect to the demographic variables led to the conclusion that factors such as age, education, income, employment status, and personal experiences with fire and cancer fail to explain the differences in the criteria consumers say they use in selecting children’s sleepwear. Further research is obviously needed.

Table

5. Mean

scores for criteria

used in the selection

of children’s

sleepwear

by clusters

CLUSTER III (n=46)

(n = 269)

CLUSTER I (n.48) CRITERIA Ti

CLUSTER II ZRITERIA

Absence of Health Risk

43.4

Flame Retardancy

43.2

Absence of Health Risk

44.9 Absence of Health Risk

50.9

Flame Retardancy

42.0

Absence of Health Risk

38.9

Flame Retardancy

41.4

Comfort

34.5

Comfort

32.4

Durability

34.8

Price

30.1

Durability

31.8

Durability

28.5 Comfort

31.3

Durability

28.6

Price

28.0

Ease of Care

26.2

(n=16) I

CRITERIA

e T

Ji

CRITERIA

Ease of Care

24.1

Ease of Care

26.8

Comfort

26.3

Attractiveness

20.4

Price

26.6

Ease of Care

21.0 Attractiveness

22.2

Price

19.3 p ttractiveness

Attractiveness

17.6 Flame Retardlncy

16.5

=

8.5

Cl IIZ~‘LI

fn = Jjl

cllnm si CRITERIA 34.0 Comfort

VII In=7)

CRITERIA Flame Retardancy

42.0

Comfort

39.0 Comfort

32.8

Price

38.6

Ourability

35.3

Price

32.3

Durability

36.4

Ease of Care

33.3

Ease of Care

29.6

Ease of Care

Attractiveness Absence of Health Risk

Ti

CRITERIA Durability

K

42.4

33.0

27.7 Absence of Health Risk

2Y.3 Attractiveness

32.9

23.7

26.3

16.3

Flame Retardancy

9.0 Attractiveness

Flame Retardancy

23.6 Absence of Health Risk

lU.4

4-2

CAROL

E. .I\

ERt

Diferences related fo demographic data Additional chi square analyses based on the demographic variables showed a number of significant differences in respect to age. educational level, income and experience with fire. These results tend to confirm findings from previous studies. Age. Mothers who were 35 yr of age or older made more sleepwear than expected at home and purchased sleepwear more often than expected from department stores and mail order firms. They were also more apt to understand the meaning of the word mutagenic. Younger mothers, those under 25 yr of age. used more sleepwear that had been passed down from friends. More than expected also purchased sleepwear from discount stores and factory outlets. Educntion. Differences in educational level were primarily related to the understanding of terminology, the sources of information and the number of sources used. As anticipated, more of the respondents with at least some college education knew the meaning of more terms. especially mutagenic and carcinogenic, and used a greater variety of information sources. Income. Analysis by income level produced the greatest number of significant chi square values but the findings are a little more difficult to interpret. In general, more than expected at the lower income levels, under $5000, substituted underwear for sleepwear or purchased sleepwear from discount stores. Fewer understood the terminology, especially the meaning of the word carcinogenic and more than expected wanted the government to set standards requiring FR clothing for older children (7-14) and adults. Respondents earning more than Sl5,OOO tended to purchase ready-to-wear garments and were more familiar with the terminology. Those earning more than $25,000 did not want the government to require FR clothing for older children and adults. The middle income groups generally used more hand-me-downs than those in the higher income groups. Curiously, however, respondents with incomes between $10,000 and $15,000 per year purchased less ready-to-wear sleepwear, did more shopping in discount stores, understood fewer terms and were more undecided about government regulation for older children and adults than respondents with incomes between $7500 and $10,000. The later group appeared to be somewhat less frugal in its shopping practices, more knowledgeable about terminology and less willing to accept government regulation. Experiences \c*ithfire. More respondents than expected who had experienced fire incidents in their own homes used sleepwear that had been handed down from friends. More than expected also tended to think FR sleepwear was somewhat important for young children (1-6) and should be required for elderly people and adults. Respondents reporting fire incidents involving families and friends tended to use more nightgowns and homemade garments which are likely to be more flammable than other types of sleepwear. They were also less negative, and more undecided, about requiring FR sleepwear for infants and young children. Although the data suggest that first or secondhand experience with fire may affect people’s opinions about the importance of FR garments, such incidents do not seem to reduce their use of potentially dangerous sleepwear. Obviously greater educational efforts are needed. Information Sources. Because variations in the use of information sources are of vital importance to those involved in safety education, this aspect of the study will be discussed separately, Newspapers, which were previously reported as the most popular source of information, were used more often than expected by respondents with a high school education or with education beyond a bachelor’s degree. They were also the most important resource for working mothers. National television was used as a source of textile information by respondents with bachelor’s degrees, with incomes over $15,000, and ironically, by those who had experienced fires in their own homes. Magazines appeared to be read by subjects with some college education and by those with both high and low incomes. Local television programs were the most popular resource for respondents who had high school educations. Full-time homemakers appear to rely on the radio or family and friends for information regarding FR textiles. Older mothers and those reporting fires in their homes also listen to family and friends more than other groups. Meetings and classes, salespeople and trade newspapers serve as resources for respondents with more than a bachelor’s degree. Trade newspapers are also used by low-income groups as are bulletins and leaflets. These facts mean that consumer information must be presented in a variety of media and must be tailored to meet the needs of different population groups.

473

Consumer response to the Tris controksrsy CONCLUSIONS

Lthile almost 85% of the 269 parents who participated in this study were aware of the Tris controversy, less than 60% correctly identified the issues involved and less than 2% reparted responses that were appropriate in resolving the problem. The inescapable conclusion is that consumers are confused. Questions and comments attached to the returned questionnaires support this desire for factual information. Especially needed are specific recommendations for actions that consumers can take for dealing with such problems. Data on resources used by respondents also indicate that information and recommendations should be presented in a variety of ways and in many different media. The second conclusion is that the term “flame resistant” which is still understood by less than half the respondents should be replaced by the term “flame retardant” which is clear to 72%. The third conclusion is that some non-toxic flame retardant garments should be made available to all population groups. Although government regulations are currently being questioned, the majority of respondents in this study favored the expansion of flammability standards except for adults. The majority, however, also want the freedom to choose between flame retardant and non-flame retardant garments for all age groups. Additional labeling as to the potential flammability and/or chemical finishes of garments will be needed to meet these expectations. More consideration will also have to be given to the long range health, safety and costs effects of government regulations. The final conclusion is that there is still a great deal to be learned about consumer behavior. More research is needed to understand collective and individual purchase decisions and their implications for business, education, government and industry. REFERENCES do we go from here? Proc. I Ith Annual Meefing of the Information Council on Fabric Flammability. New York: 134-140. December 1977. Blum A. and Ames B.. Flame retardant additives as possible cancer hazards. Science 195, 17-23, January 1977. Bolger B.. Boys’ pajama makers have Tris bared shelves to fill. Doily News Rec. 2, May I. 1978. Bolieu S.. Children’s sleepwear flammability standards: Have they worked? Proc. I Ith Annual hfeffing of the Information Coffncil on Fabric Rammabilify. New York: l-5. December 1977. Children’s sleepwear: Out of the frying pan. Clothes 12, Z-26. 1977. Daniher. F. A., Studies of the biovailability of tris (2.3-dibromopropyl) phosphate from treated textiles. Proc. 10th Annual Meeting of the Informalion Council on Fabric Rammabilify. New York: 319-332, December 1976. Federal Register 42, No. 230, November 30. 1977, 610%61027. Harris, R. H.. Potential health hazards of the flame retardant chemical tris (2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate. Proc. IOfh Annual Meeting of the Inlormafion Council on Fabric Rammabilify. New York: 307-318, December 1976. Kelly E.. Gray J.. Blouin D.. Summers T., Hawkins D.. and Nelson C.. The consumer view flamerefardunf fashion fabrics. Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 713, Louisiana State University, December 1978. National Survey: Price a factor in FR children’s sleepwear. Women’s Wear Daily I. September 27. 1976. Rhodes E. A. and Noel C. J.. A study of consumer attitudes and preferences of expansion of FR clothing, Proc. lJfh Annfral Meefing of the Information Council on Fabric Ffammabilify. New York: 162-174, December 1977. Schwartz L.. Irate house unit demands ban on tris: Scores CPSC. Daily News Record, April I, 1977. Smith C. F.. Tris: Did U.S. put cancer-causing chemicals into nation’s cribs? The Providence Sunday Journal C3, July 3.

Armstrong R.E.. The TIPS

program:Where

of

1977. U.S. Department of Commerce. Sfafisfical Abstracts of fhe United States 1980 (IOlst Edition). Bureau of Census. Washington, D.C.. 1980. Zentner !4. S., Avery C.. Denrmore B.. Emanuel S. J.. Harabin D., Lafferty H. K.. and Tozier E.. Consumer. Market and Laboratory Experiment

Studies of Flame Resistant Textile Items. Part II: Consumer Station Bulletin 421, University of Rhode Island, February 1977.

and

Refoil

Market

Studies.

Agricultural