UNITED STATES EPARTMENT Of IMERCE

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NBS TECHNICAL NOTE 810

Fire Incidents

Involving Sleepwear

Worn by Children Ages 6-12

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U.S.

PARTMENT

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National

Bureau

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Standards
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The National Bureau of Standards 1 was established by an act of Congress March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology

and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts

research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation's physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau consists of the Institute for Basic Standards, the Institute for Materials Research, the Institute for Applied Technology,

the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology, and the Office for Information Programs.

THE INSTITUTE FOR BASIC STANDARDS provides the central basis within the United

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Sciences " — Applied Radiation " — Quantum Electronics 3 — Electromagnetics 3 — Time

and Frequency 3 — Laboratory Astrophysics 3 — Cryogenics

\

THE INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the properties of well-characterized materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; provides

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Environment * — Technical Evaluation and Application * — Fire Technology.

THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts research and provides technical services designed to aid Government agencies in improving cost effec- tiveness in the conduct of their programs through the selection, acquisition, and effective

utilization of automatic data processing equipment; and serves as the principal focus within

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equipment, techniques, and computer languages. The Institute consists of the following

divisions: Computer Services — Systems and Software — Computer Systems Engineering — Information Technology.

THE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION PROGRAMS promotes optimum dissemination and

accessibility of scientific information generated within NBS and other agencies of the Federal Government; promotes the development of the National Standard Reference Data System and

a system of information analysis centers dealing with the broader aspects of the National Measurement System; provides appropriate services to ensure that the NBS staff has optimum

accessibility to the scientific information of the world. The Office consists of the following

organizational units: Office of Standard Reference Data — Office of Information Activities — Office of Technical

Publications — Library — Office of International Relations.

x Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, Maryland, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, D.C. 20234.

a Part of the Center for Radiation Research.

3 Located at Boulder, Colorado 80302.

* Part of the Center for Building Technology.
Fire Incidents Involving Sleepwear

Worn by Children Ages 6-12

National Bureau of St:

APR 2 3 1374 James A. Slater

Fire Technology Division

Institute for Applied Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

,^T °* *.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, Director

Issued December 1973
National Bureau of Standards Technical Note 810

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Tech. Note 810, 23 pages (Dec. 1973)

CODEN: NBTNAE

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1973

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.46:810). Price 50 cents.
PREFACE

This report is a revision of an unpublished document that was used

as supporting evidence by the Secretary of Commerce in determining the

need for a flammability standard for children's sleepwear sizes 7 through

14. A "Notice of Finding that Flammability Standard May Be Needed and

Institution of Proceedings" was published in the Federal Register on June 15, 1972 (vol. 37, no. 116, pp. 11896-11897). A finding of need

and a proposed flammability standard for children's sleepwear (sizes 7-14) was subsequently published in the Federal Register on March 12, 1973

(vol. 38, no. 47, pp. 6700-6710). The conclusions and recommendations

contained in this report were used as part of the basis for the finding

of need and thus represent views prior to publication of the proposed

standard.

XII

CONTENTS

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. THE FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACCIDENT CASE AND TESTING

SYSTEM ..... 2

3. FINDINGS FROM FFACTS 3

3.1 General Involvement of Sleepwear 3

3.2 Age and Sex of Persons Involved in Sleepwear

Incidents 4

3.3 Ignition of Sleepwear For Ages 6-12 6

3. A Extent of Injury For the 6-12 Age Group 7 3.5 Fabric Analysis 9

4. FINDINGS FROM OTHER SOURCES 10

5. CONCLUSIONS 12

6. RECOMMENDATIONS 15

7. GLOSSARY 15

8. REFERENCES 16

FIRE INCIDENTS INVOLVING SLEEPWEAR

WORN BY CHILDREN AGES 6-12

James A. Slater

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-l 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.

Key words: Accidents; burns; children; clothing fires;

deaths; FFACTS; fire; flammable fabrics; injury; sleepwear;

standards; statistics.

1. INTRODUCTION

The current mandatory standard [1] for the flammability of

children's sleeipweav2- applies to sleepwear sizes through 6X. This

standard is intended "to provide a high and effective level of

protection to children approximately 5 years of age and younger

against unreasonable risk of death or injury suffered as a result of

ignition and continued burning of sleepwear garments, as defined in

the standard, and/or as a result of the continued burning of molten or other material falling or dripping from the burning garments." The

finding of need for the standard was based, in part, on information

from the Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and Testing System (FFACTS)

at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS)

Figures in brackets indicate the literature references at the end of

this paper.

2Definitions of "sleepwear" and other italicized terms used in this

report are given in the glossary at the end of the report.

1
Since the standard was promulgated, the FFACTS data base has

increased from 580 cases in November 1971 to 1,964 cases as of

December 1972. In the current data base, children under age 6

continue to be the most highly represented age group involved in

sleepwear incidents. However, children of ages 6 through 12 were

involved nearly as frequently as children in the 0-5 age group in

fires involving sleepwear items. As a result, a finding of possible

need for a flammability standard, covering sleepwear normally worn by

children of ages 6-12 was issued by the Secretary of Commerce on June

15, 1972 [2]. The following is a summary and analysis of data from

FFACTS and from outside sources on the involvement of children ages 6-

12 in sleepwear-related fires.

2. THE FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACCIDENT CASE AND TESTING SYSTEM

Section 14(a) of the Flammable Fabrics Act, as revised and

amended December 14, 1967 [3], states that the Secretary of Health,

Education, and Welfare in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce

shall conduct a continuing investigation of deaths, injuries and

economic losses resulting from accidental burning of fabric products.

The primary sources of information on accidental fires involving

fabric products are state and local fire departments, voluntary public

safety-oriented organizations, and Federal agencies such as the Food

and Drug Administration (FDA) which send reports of these incidents

along with the remains of fabric products involved to the Fire

Technology Division of the National Bureau of Standards for analysis

and testing. These reported incidents are not selected on a statistical basis and they do not, therefore, constitute a statistically representative sample of all fabric fire incidents in

the United States. Nevertheless, they represent events investigated

without known preference and may be roughly representative of

incidents reported to the agencies from which the FDA and others

obtain accident data.

Processing of the reports and fabric samples received by NBS

includes reviewing and screening of incident reports, laboratory

testing and characterization of fabric products involved, data

encoding, formatting, editing, and entry into a computer master file.

Some 200 different data elements can be coded for an incident.

As of May 14, 1973, responsibility for regulation of flammable fabric

products is under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Product Safety

Commission. However, this report was researched prior to May 14 and

thus the work being reported was done under the authority given to the

Department of Commerce in the Flammable Fabrics Act [3].
3. FINDINGS FROM FFACTS

3.1 General Involvement of Sleepwear

Sleepwear items were ignited in 413 fire incidents reported to

NBS as a part of the 1,964 cases processed in FFACTS to date.

Included in the general category of sleepwear are pajamas, nightgowns,

robes and any other garments related specifically to sleeping. A

total of 485 separate items of sleepwear were involved in the 413

incidents reported to have involved sleepwear. Table 1 shows the

distribution of specific fabric products that were first to ignite in

Table 1. Distribution of Fabric Product Incidents in FFACTS

For Fabric Items First to Ignite

(Includes Items Contaminated With Flammable Liquids)

First Item Number of Percent of

Ignited Incidents Total Incidents

Sleepwear 335a Coats/Jackets ..... 36

Pants 92

Dresses 94

Shirts 249

Underwear 53

Other Garments 96

Total Garments. . . . 955

Bedspreads 28

Blankets 21

Mattresses/Pads .... 58

Other Bedding 47

Total Bedding .... 154

Drapes/Curtains .... 37

Carpets/Rugs 19

Upholstered Furniture . 112

Other Furnishings ... 22

Total Furnishings . . 190

Other Fabric Products . 1 0.1

Total 1,300 100.0

Seventeen of these incidents involved sleepwear

contaminated with flammable liquids.

L. "Total Garments" and "Total Bedding" percentages do

not equal the sum of individual item percentages

due to rounding.

25 .8 2 ,8

7 1

7 ,2

19 2

4 .1 7 73

4

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2 ,2

1 6

4 ,5

3

11

6

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2 8

1 5 8 6

1. 7 14 6
FFACTS incidents (including those items contaminated with flammable

liquids) . Sleepwear items were first to ignite more frequently than

any other fabric product in the data base.-*- The 335 sleepwear

incidents represent 35 percent of the total garments first to ignite

and 26 percent of all fabric products that were ignited first.

Twenty-two of the 413 sleepwear incidents involved flammable

liquid contamination or probable contamination. 2 (Seventeen of the 22

were incidents in which sleepwear ignited first.) Since only a small

percentage of sleepwear ignitions involved flammable liquids and

flammable liquid obscures the ignition hazard of the fabric product

itself, sleepwear contaminated with flammable liquids will be excluded

from the remainder of this report.

3.2 Age and Sex of Persons Involved in

Sleepwear Incidents

Table 2 shows the age distribution and sex of persons involved in

FFACTS sleepwear incidents in which no flammable liquid contamination

occurred. In 318 of the incidents, sleepwear was the first item

ignited. The 6-12 age group, in particular, was involved in 77 (24

percent) of the 316 incidents in which uncontaminated sleepwear

ignited first (and for which the victim's age was known) and

represented 79 (20 percent) of the 389 persons involved in all

sleepwear incidents. In the 6-12 group, females were involved almost

four times as frequently as males in sleepwear accidents; this differs

from the more equal representation of males and females in the 0-5 age

group, but it' is typical of all the older age groups.

Prior to late 1970, FDA investigators concentrated almost exclusively

on garment fires, resulting in garments being somewhat overrepresented

in the FFACTS data. Since that time, however, all fabric fires have

been investigated regardless of the type of fabric item involved,

and enough non-garment data have been collected to firmly establish

patterns of fabric item involvement for the most common ignition

sources.

2

In 12 cases sleepwear items were definitely contaminated while in 10

other cases, contamination was likely but could not be definitely

established from reports of the incidents.

4
Table 2. Age Distribution and Sex of Persons Involved

in Sleepwear Incidents3

First-to-Ignite

Age All SI eepwear Incidents Sleepwear Incidents

Male Female Total Male Femal e Total

0-5 ... . 40 54 94 36 50 86

6-12. . . . 18 61 79 16 61 77

13-20. . . . 4 12 16 4 11 15

21-45. . . . 8 49 57 4 38 42

46-65. . . . 9 61 70 6 41 47

66+ ... . 14 59 73 9 40 49

Total Knowi . 93 296 389 75 241 316

Unknown . . . - 2 2 - 2 2

Total. . . 93 298 391 75 243 318

a22 incidents involving sleepwear items contaminated with

flammable liquids have been excluded; 17 of the 22 were

"f irst-to-ignite sleepwear incidents".

Table 3 compares the age distribution of persons involved in

FFACTS sleepwear incidents, persons involved in all FFACTS incidents,

and the United States as a whole. Only those incidents in which the

fabric item was first to ignite are considered in the table and all

contaminated items have been excluded, as in table 2. The total

number of persons involved in sleepwear ignitions and in all FFACTS

ignitions (with the above qualifications) , on which the percentages in

table 3 are based, are 316 and 1,023, respectively.

The 6-12 group represents 15 percent of the FFACTS data base and

14 percent of the U.S. population, yet 24 percent of the persons

involved in f irst-to-ignite sleepwear incidents were in this age

bracket. Considering that 14 percent of the U.S. population is

between ages 6 and 12, one might expect 14 percent, or 44, of the 316

incidents where sleepwear ignited first to involve children 6-12;

however, 6-12 year olds in the FFACTS data base were involved in 77

incidents in which sleepwear ignited first, or 1.8 times as frequently

as expected. Females were much more frequently involved in these

incidents than males. The percentage of females 6-12 years old

involved in sleepwear incidents is 1.9 times greater than their

overall representation in the FFACTS data base and 2 . 7 times their

representation in the total U.S. population.
Table 3. Age Distributions and Sex of Persons Involved

in FFACTS Sleepwear Incidents, in All FFACTS

Incidents and in the U.S. Population

Persons Involved, as % of the Total3 Percent of Total

Age Sleepwear All FFACTS U.S. Population13 Female Male Total Female Male Total Female Male Total

0-5 .. . 16 11 27 11 10 21 5 5 10

6-12. . . 19 5 24 10 5 15 7 7 14

13-20. . . 3 1 5 C

3 4 7 8 8 16

21-45. . . 12 1 13 13 12 25 16 15 31

46-65. . . 13 2 15 9 8 17 10 9 19

66+ . . . 13 3 16 10 5 15 6 4 10

Total. . 76 24 100 56 44 100 52 48 100

For incidents in which a fabric item involved was the first item ignited

and was not contaminated by flammable liquids.

Derived from 1970 U.S. Bureau of the Census population statistics [4],

"Percentages were computed independently and therefore total percentages

may not equal the sum of individual percentages.

3.3 Ignition of Sleepwear For Ages 6-12

Sleepwear was the first item ignited more often than all other

garments combined in incidents involving the 6-12 age group (55

percent of the garments first to ignite) . Table 4 shows these garment

data and the particular ignition sources involved. Ignitions of

sleepwear outnumbered by 4-to-l the ignitions of any other single

apparel item for persons in the 6-12 age group. Kitchen range

ignitions of sleepwear stand out as the most common type of garment

ignition in this age group.

A further breakdown of the sleepwear items is given in table 5.

Of the 77 sleepwear items ignited first in incidents involving 6-12

year olds, 40 were pajamas, 31 were nightgowns and 6 were robes.

Females accounted for 32 of 38 kitchen range ignitions of sleepwear;

two-thirds of the 32 involved pajamas and one-third nightgowns. In 12

incidents initiated by heaters or furnaces, nightgowns were ignited

first 9 times and 10 of the 12 persons involved were females.
Table 4. Ignition Sources For First- to-Ignite Garment Items a For the 6-12 Age Group

Ignition

Source

First Item Iqnited

Sleep- wear

Coats/

Jackets Pants Dresses Shirts

Sweaters/

Sweatshirts

Under- wear Other Total Kitchen

Range . . . Match/

38 1 - 7 10 - - - 56

Lighter. . Heater/

13 - 4 4 5 - 6 2 34

Furnace . . Open Fire . Candle/

12

9 -

3

5 1

1 1 2 - 18

16

Lantern. . Other . . .

5 1 - 4 1 1 1

1

21

9

8 Total . . 3 77 2 7 20 18 2 10 5 141

Items contaminated with flammable liquids are excluded.

Table 5. Ignition Sources For Specific First-to-Ignite

Sleepwear Items For the 6-12 Age Group

Ignition First Item Ignited

Source Pajamas

Male Female

Nightgowns

Male Female

Robes

Male Female

All

Sleepwear

Kitchen Range. . Match/Lighter. . Heater/Furnace . Open Fire. . . . Candle/Lantern .

Total

5 22

4 1

2 1

1 1

1 2

13 27

9

6

9

1 51

1 30

1 1

2

1

1

2 4

38

13

12

9

5

77

3.4 Extent of Injury For the 6-12 Age Group

Table 6 shows the disposition of persons 6-12 years old involved

in garment fires and the fabric item that was ignited first in each

incident. Fifty-two of 74 victims (whose disposition was known) of

sleepwear ignitions required hospitalization while 5 other victims

died from injuries sustained during these incidents.

For those garments that were not contaminated with flammable

liquids and were first to ignite, the percent of body area burned due

to the garments is given in table 7 for victims of these incidents.
Twenty-seven of 74 victims of sleepwear ignitions with known burn

injuries had 11-30 percent body burns attributable to the sleepwear,

Seventeen of the 74 victims had over 30 percent body burns due to

sleepwear ignition.

Table 6. Injury Disposition of Persons in the 6-12 Age Group

by Garment Itema First to Ignite

First Item First Aid/ Total

Ignited No Treated Hospital- Un- Persons

Injury & Released ized Died Known Involved

Sleepwear. . . 17 52 5 3 77

Coats/Jackets. 1 - 1 - - 2 - 5 3 - - 8

Dresses. . . . - 4 15 1 - 20

Shirts .... - 10 6 - 3 19

Sweaters/

Sweatshirts . - 2 - - - 2

Underwear. . . - 3 7 - - 10

- 1 4 - - 5

Total. . . . 1 42 88 6 6 143

Items contaminated with flammable liquids are excluded.

Table 7. Total Body Area Burned For Persons in the 6-12

Age Group by Garment Itema First to Ignite

First Item Total Body Area Burned Total

Ignited No Over Un- Persons

Burn 1-10% 11-30% 31-60% 60% known Involved

Sleepwear. . . — 30 27 12 5 3 77

Coats/Jackets. 1 - 1 .- - - 2 - 6 - 1 - 1 8

Dresses. . . . - 7 9 2 1 1 20

Shirts .... - 10 6 - - 3 19

Sweaters/

Sweatshirts . - 2 - - - - 2 Underwear. . . - 3 6 - - 1 10

- 3 2 - - - 5

Total. . . . 1 61 51 15 6 9 143

Items contaminated with flammable liquids are excluded.
3.5 Fabric Analysis

Of the 77 f irst-to-ignite sleepwear items, fabric remnants of 31

of the pajamas, 22 of the nightgowns and 5 of the robes were tested at

NBS. The outer layer fiber content and surface construction of these

garments are given in table 8 along with the "reported" fiber content

and construction of the 19 sleepwear items for which no remnants were

available for testing.

Table 8. Fiber Content and Outer Layer Surface Construction

of First-to-Ignite Sleepwear Itemsa For the

6-12 Age Group

Outer Layer

Fiber Construction Tested Reported

Pajamas Nightgowns

Tested Reported

Robes'

Tested Reported

Cotton/Flannel . Cotton/Plain . . Cotton/Knit. . . Cot ton/Terrycloth

Cot ton/Unknown . Acetate/Knit . . Rayon-Cotton/Flannel

Acetate-Nylon/Knit .

Total Known. . . .

22

71

17

4

Unknown

Total,

31

31 9

22

22

Fabrics presented in this table are separated into "tested" and

"reported". "Tested" fabrics were examined in the Fire Technology

Division's laboratories. "Reported" fabrics were not tested at

NBS and information regarding fiber content and construction was obtained from reports of the incident.

Two of the cotton robes and the acetate robe were quilted with

a polyester middle layer and acetate inner layer.

'Flannelette construction is included in this category.

All but three garments (1 pajama, 1 nightgown, 1 robe) were

found, from tests or reports, to be cotton; it should be remembered,

however, that as of 1970 cotton and cotton blends held over 70 percent

of the market for sleepwear sizes 7-14 [5]. Flannel was the most common construction of the sleepwear that was tested; two-thirds (22)
of the pajamas and three-fourths (17) of the nightgowns were cotton

flannel. Plain cotton was the only other significantly represented

fabric accounting for 23 percent of the tested pajamas and 18 percent

of the tested nightgowns.

Fabric weight determinations were made for 55 fabric remnants

that were of sufficient size to test. Table 9 shows the distribution

of weights for pajama, nightgown and robe fabrics tested. Pajama and

nightgown weights are clustered around 3.5 - 4.0 oz./sq.yd. and almost

all were under 4.5 oz./sq.yd.

'Table 9. Fabric Weights of First-to-Ignite Sleepwear Items

For the 6-12 Age Group

Weight All

(oz./sq. yd.) Paj amas Nightgowns Robes Sleepwear

Less than 2 .

3 _ _ 3

2.6 - 3.0 4 5 - 9

3.1 - 3.5 6 3 - 9

3.6 - 4.0 10 10 1 21

4.1 - 4.5 5 2 1 8

Greater than 4. 5 1 2 2 5

4. FINDINGS FROM OTHER SOURCES

Additional independent information from Shriners Burns Institute

[6] and the National Burn Information Exchange (NBIE) [7] provide

further evidence of the hazard facing children in the 6-12 age group.

The Burns Institute compiled data on children age 16 or younger

admitted to their hospital during the period March 1966 to December

31, 1970. The number of clothing ignitions (165) for the 6-12 age

group slightly outnumbered those (153) for the 0-5 age group as can be seen in table 10. Eighty-nine percent of the ignitions involved

children age 12 or younger.

From reports, by 324 patients, of specific garment items ignited,

76 of 539 garments listed were sleepwear. As in the FFACTS data,

girls' sleepwear was more frequently involved than boys'. Out of 279

girls' garments, 60 (21.5 percent) of the items were sleepwear. This

is almost four times the 16 sleepwear items reported for boys. Table

11 details these figures. Note that the garment data from Shriners

include all items involved in the incidents reported, whereas the

FFACTS data (tables 1-9) include only those items first to ignite.

Although table 11 indicates a relatively high involvement for

underwear items (22 percent of all items involved), the FFACTS data in

table 1 show that underwear was first to ignite in only 6 percent of

the 995 garment incidents reported. Shirts and sleepwear, on the

10
other hand, show a substantial involvement in both the FFACTS data and

Shriners data since they are often the first items ignited in fire

incidents (table 1)

Table 10. Frequency of Clothing Ignition

Acute Admissions (SBI) a

Age Number of Clothing Ignitions

Male Female Total

0-1 1 1 2 1-2 4 5 9

2-3 10 12 22

3-4 15 15 30

4-5 14 29 43

5-6 18 29 47

6-7 12 18 30

7-8 11 12 23

8-9 16 14 30

9-10 18 13 31

10-11 14 6 20

11-12 10 10 20

12-13 10 1 11

13-14 9 6 15

14-15 12 3 15

15-16 6 3 9

Total 180 177 357

Source: Shriners Burns Institute [6]

Table 11. Frequency of Specific Garment Item Ignition

For Children Ages 0-16 (SBI) a

Garment Males Females Total

Item Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Shirts /Blouses 79 30.4 24 8.6 103 19.1

Trousers . . . 64 24.6 - - 64 11.9

Underwear . . . 50 19.2 70 25.1 120 22.2

Sleepwear. . . 16 6.2 60 21.5 76 14.1

Dresses /Skirts - - 86 30.8 86 16.0

Miscellaneous51 19.6 39 14.0 90 16.7

Total. . . . 260 100.0 279 100.0 539 100.0

Source: Shriners Burns Institute [6].

11
Table 12 shows the distribution of 3,982 clothing items ignited

in 3,553 NBIE cases from civilian hospitals. These data again include

all clothing ignited, not just the garments first to ignite. Fifteen

percent of the garments in the 6-14 age group were sleepwear items

compared to 16 percent for the 0-5 age group. The number of sleepwear

items ignited for the 0-5 and 6-14 groups combined represents 46

percent of all the sleepwear items involved in these cases.

Table 12 Distribution of Clothing Ignited by Age Groupa (NBIE)

Ages of Persons Involved

Garment 0-5 Years 6-14 Years Over 14 Years • Tot.al

Item Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Shirt/Blouse . 135 20 261 28 716 30 1,112 28

Pants/Slacks . 10 8 16 213 23 620 26 941 24

Dress/Skirt. . 15 8 24 148 16 143 6 449 11

Underwear. . . 84 13 93 10 263 11 440 11

Sleepwear. . . 109 16 140 15 287 12 536 13

Sweater. . . . 9 1 9 1 48 2 66 2 Other Clothing 49 7 55 6 264 11 36 8 9 Non-Clothing . 13 2 9 1 48 2 70 2

Total. . . . 665 99 928 100 2,389 100 3,982 100

Derived from NBIE data in [7].

5. CONCLUSIONS

The data presented in the preceding sections indicate that the

flammability of sleepwear is a hazard to children of ages 6 through

12. In the FFACTS data base as a whole, sleepwear is the fabric item

which is most frequently first to ignite. Almost one-fourth of these

sleepwear incidents involved children in the 6-12 age group, while

another one-fourth involved children under age 6. Thus, children

under age 13 represent half of the persons involved in first-to-ignite

sleepwear incidents in FFACTS. High susceptibility to sleepwear

ignitions is not limited to children under age 6, for whom a standard

already exists, but appears to extend uniformly through age 12. Data

from Shriners Burns Institute and NBIE corroborate the relatively

equal involvement of the 0-5 and 6-12 age groups in garment fires

(tables 10, 12).

Females 6-12 years old were much more vulnerable than males of

the same age to ignitions of sleepwear. Sixty-one of 77 children 6-12

years old involved in first-to-ignite sleepwear incidents were female

(table 2). This represents a much higher female involvement than in

the 0-5 age group. It also is the beginning of a pattern which is

evidenced in all higher age groups - the complete dominance of females

12
in fabric fires started by ignition of sleepwear. The Shriners Burns

Institute study provides additional evidence of the high ratio of

females-to-males involved in sleepwear ignitions (table 11)

Market data on children's sleepwear help place the FFACTS data in

perspective. According to a 1972 study [8] by the American Apparel

Manufacturers' Association (AAMA) , girls and boys shared equally the

size 7-14 (ages 6-12) sleepwear market. Girls in this age group

therefore seem to face a much greater risk than boys in the same age

group

Kitchen ranges and nightgowns appear to be the two major factors

that contributed to the relatively high female involvement in the 6-12

age group. Kitchen ranges were responsible for 38 of the 77 sleepwear

ignitions in this group and females were involved in 32 of the 38

(table 5). If it is true that girls spend more time in the kitchen

than boys, and accordingly come in contact with kitchen ranges more

frequently, then this would account, in part, for the low

representation of males in incidents stemming from sleepwear ignition.

From the FFACTS data it can be seen that kitchen ranges were the

predominant source of ignition for girls' pajamas in the 6-12 age

group. Twenty-two of 27 girls' pajamas were ignited by ranges.

Kitchen range ignitions of girls' nightgowns, however, represent a much smaller proportion of nightgown ignitions. Thirty-one of the 77

first-to-ignite sleepwear items were nightgowns, all but one worn by

females; yet, only 9 of the girls' nightgowns were ignited by kitchen

ranges

There are several possible reasons for the apparent differences

in the interactions of kitchen ranges with pajamas and nightgowns. A

primary factor is garment construction and its relationship to various

ignition sources and activity patterns of persons involved in these

incidents. Pajamas are generally in two pieces - a loose shirt top

and a pants bottom - while nightgowns are one piece and by nature

loose fitting and flowing. In ignitions of these garments by kitchen

ranges, there are four distinct areas that are particularly

vulnerable: (1) the cuffs and sleeves of both pajamas and nightgowns,

(2) the pajama tops, (3) the midsection of nightgowns and (A) the

hemmed edge at the bottoms of nightgowns. Range ignition of the

hemmed bottoms of nightgowns most frequently involved 0-5 year olds

who, because of their limited height and reach, often climbed up on

the range top. Children over age 5 usually are taller than the range

and are able to reach for what they want without climbing, although

there are a few cases of climbing in the 6-12 age group. This factor

therefore appears to be only a minor problem in the 6-12 age group;

the hemmed lower edges of pajamas and nightgowns were not ignited

frequently by ranges.

13
Since the average heights of 6-12 year olds range from under 4

feet to 5 feet [9,10] and kitchen ranges are approximately 3 feet

high, many children in this group are tall enough to see and reach

things on or above the range. Clearly, in reaching across or leaning

against a kitchen range children in the 6-12 age group expose abovethe-waist sections of their garments to ignition. The minimal

clearance between a child's extended arm and a range burner presents a hazard to the cuffs and sleeves of nightgowns as well as pajamas.

Pajama tops, though, may be more vulnerable to ignition than the top

portion of nightgowns since the top of a pajama is loose and able to

drape over a burner. A nightgown clings closer to the upper part of

the body due to the weight of the material in the lower portion of the

garment. This limits the opportunity for the nightgown top to drape

over a burner especially considering the 4-5 feet heights of the

children involved. In this way, garment construction may partially

explain the predominance of girls' pajamas in kitchen range incidents.

Market data from the AAMA study [8] show that pajamas represent

60 percent and nightgowns 40 percent of the girls' sleepwear market

for sizes 7-14. Therefore, one might expect 50 percent more pajama

ignitions than nightgown ignitions if pajamas and nightgowns were

equally hazardous in the same situations. This may be partially

responsible for the ratio (22 to 9) of girls' pajamas to nightgowns in

kitchen range ignitions assuming the garments to have relatively equal

hazards above the waist. However, these market data cannot explain the

fact that, when all ignition sources are considered, approximately

equal numbers of females' pajamas and nightgowns are ignited. For

ignition sources other than ranges (matches, lighters, heaters and

open fires), the construction of nightgowns makes them more prone than

pajamas to ignition below the waist. The flowing, loose nature of

nightgowns inadvertently exposes the hems to heat sources such as space heaters and fireplaces which pajama bottoms would not ordinarily

come in contact with. Ignition sources other than kitchen ranges

ignited 21 girls' nightgowns and only 5 girls' pajamas in FFACTS

incidents involving the 6-12 age group.

An interesting characteristic of sleepwear fires involving 6-12

year olds as well as all other age groups is the almost complete

absence of flammable liquids in the ignition sequences. Contamination

by flammable liquids does not appear to be a significant problem in

sleepwear ignitions.

Finally but most important are the injuries suffered by these

children. Of 77 children ages 6-12 whose sleepwear was first to

ignite in FFACTS incidents, 52 were hospitalized and 5 died. No one was known to have escaped injury. These children probably would not

have been severely burned had the sleepwear they were wearing been

flame retardant. But no conclusions could be drawn as to the

14
relationships between the severity of the injury and the fabric weight

of the sleepwear, since virtually all fabrics were within a narrow

weight range.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

Since the present children's sleepwear flammability standard, DOC

FF3-71, applies to sizes 0-6X only, children over age 5 are not

afforded the protection of the standard. Yet, children between the

ages of 6 and 12 face a flammability hazard similar to that of

children under age 5. It is therefore recommended that a new

flammability standard be issued to cover sleepwear worn by the 6-12

age group, or sizes 7 through 14.

Furthermore, it is also suggested that the role of kitchen ranges

in garment fires be thoroughly studied in light of the large number of

fire incidents apparently started by direct ignition from range

burners. Subsequently, some attention should be given to possible

remedial action that would diminish the ignition hazards resulting

from the interaction of ranges with garments and children.

7. GLOSSARY

Contaminated item: A fabric item soaked with or in contact with

flammable liquids at the time of ignition.

Incident: A single ignition event originating from a single heat source and involving (possibly via an intermediary material) one or more fabrics or fabric products and any and all persons directly

involved in the resulting fire.

Intermediary material: Any non-fabric material, such as wood,

gasoline or natural gas, which acts as a link in the ignition sequence

transferring heat from an initial source of ignition to fabric items

which subsequently become involved in the fire.

Item: Any fabric, fabric product or related material intended or promoted for use.

Person involved: Any individual who initiates a fabric fire incident

or who is injured in such an incident or who is in some way directly

involved in an incident.

Sleepwear: Any product of wearing apparel such as a nightgown,

pajama, or similar or related item, such as a robe, intended to be

worn primarily for sleeping or activities related to sleeping.

Diapers and underwear are excluded from this definition.

15
8 . REFERENCES

[1] The Standard For the Flammability of Children's Sleepwear, DOC FF3-71,

Federal Register, Vol. 37, No. 141 (July 21, 1972), 14624-14632

(Revised)

[2] Children's Sleepwear, Notice of Finding That Flammability Standard

May Be Needed and Institution of Proceedings, Federal Register,

Vol. 37, No. 116 (June 15, 1972), 11896-11897.

[3] The Flammable Fabrics Act, 81 Stat. 568, 15 U.S.C. 1191, as amended

and revised Dec. 14, 1967.

[4] U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970 Census of Population, United States,

General Population Characteristics, Advance Report, PC(V2)-1

(Feb. 1971).

[5] National Cotton Council of America, Cotton Counts Its Customers,

1965-1971, Special Edition (Feb. 1973), 26,38.

[6] Shriners Burns Institute, Study of Children Admitted to S. B. I.,

Whose Injuries Resulted From Ignition and Burning of Clothing,

unpublished report.

[7] U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Third Annual Report

to the President and the Congress, Studies of Deaths, Injuries and

Economic Losses Resulting From Accidental Burning of Products, Fabrics,

or Related Materials (1971), 115.

[8] American Apparel Manufacturers' Association, Cost Consequences to the

Consumer Regarding Certain Aspects of a Children's Sleepwear Standard,

Sizes 7 to 14, Report to Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce For

Science and Technology (Dec. 15, 1972).

[9] U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Vital and Health

Statistics Series 11, No. 104, Height and Weight of Children - United

States.

[10] U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Vital and Health

Statistics Series 11, No. 124, Height and Weight of Youths 12-17

Years - United States.

<r U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1 973— 542-651/95

16
FORM NBS-114A (1-71) U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. NBS TN-810

2. Gov't Accession No.

3. Recipient's Accession No.

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Fire Incidents Involving Sleepwear Worn By Children

Ages 6-12.

5. Publication Date December 1973

6. Performing Organization Code

7. AUTHOR(S)

James A. Slater

8. Performing Organization

10. Project/Task/Work Unit No. 4903390

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

11. Contract/Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address

Same as No. 9.

13. Type of Report & Period Covered Final

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.) 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 onefourth 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-l

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 f irst-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

17. KEY WORDS (Alphabetical order, separated by semicolons)

Accidents; burns; children; clothing fires; deaths; FFACTS; fire;

flammable fabrics; injury; sleepwear; standards; statistics.

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23

22. Price $.50

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