Mattress-Wrapping Eliminates Crib Death

In 1986, T. James Sprott first hypothesized that crib death was caused by accidental poisoning from gases generated by microbiological activity on chemicals in the crib. These gases - more dense than air - were thought to cause death by interfering with the nerve function, and thus the cardiac and respiratory function, of the baby. In 1989, B.A. Richardson identified the gases as the hydrides and/or lower alkyl derivatives of phosphorus, arsenic and antimony. He not only found that these gases arose from the mattresses on which the crib deaths had occurred, but identified a common fungus (Scopulariopsis brevicaulis) that was responsible for the gas generation.

When Richardson advised parents in the U.K. to either buy a new mattress for their babies or cover an old mattress with gas-impermeable polythene sheeting, the British cot death rate (crib death rate) immediately began to fall. By November 1991, when the, "Back to Sleep" program began, the cot death rate had already fallen by 38%. The cot death rate continued to fall in the U.K. until 1994, when it stabilized at an overall reduction of 73%. The so-called, "Richardson Hypothesis" remained quite controversial and was even declared invalid by the Limerick Report in 1997.

Dr. Sprott had noted the high crib death rate in New Zealand and decided to implement a crib death prevention public awareness program. Through various media, he advised parents to cover crib mattresses with the gas-impermeable diaphragm devised by Dr. Richardson and to avoid bedding made with phosphorus, arsenic and antimony. Incredibly, since that time, no crib deaths have occurred in New Zealand on a wrapped mattress.

What about the, "Back to Sleep" program? Dr. Sprott asserts that the clear benefits of this program are due to the fact that the mouth and nose of the baby are not imbedded in the gas-producing mattress. Even so, he notes that placing babies on their backs to sleep is only 45-50% effective in reducing the incidence of crib death, as gases from the mattress still have an opportunity to diffuse through the skin of the baby.

Sprott TJ. Cot Death - Cause and Prevention. Experiences in New Zealand 1995-2004. 2004 Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine 14(3): 221-232.

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