Originally Posted by
Silver Needle
I respectfully request you read the article and research the content of the Dream Angel batting. There are no "added" chemicals in the fiber. It is made of fibers that will not melt or flow when exposed to flame and are inherently flame retardant. If one prefers "natural" fibers that's one thing. But if I am going to use manmade anyway I will choose Dream Angel.
I went ahead and read the article, then looked up Dream Angel on the QD website. It's true that they don't add chemicals. However, I still have problems with the recommendation to use this batting for children's quilts.
For one thing, the burn tests in the article are all on battings; how a batting burns by itself and how it burns inside a quilt could be very different. The author is clearly not a scientist because she makes many unsupported assumptions. Her interview with the burn nurse is moving on an emotional level, but lacks support for her conclusion that using polyester batting in a quilt is dangerous. If the burn nurse had seen or read about even one actual case, it really should have been cited as an example of what could actually happen.
For another, I have to wonder how many children are burned by quilts. Is this even a problem?
The final difficulty I have regards the lack of specific information available about the Dream Angel batting. What are the fibers made of? If chemicals are not added to the batting, then I have to surmise that chemicals are used in the manufacture of the fiber to make it permanently flame retardant. I would want to know at least vaguely what chemicals these are; the description only offers that one chemical is not used. I Googled New Draft Cal 604, which would provide some additional basic information about what is and is not used in the batting, but I could not find it online.
This whole thing seems like a paper tiger to me. If I were convinced this is even an issue in quilts, then I would look at Angel Dream batting more closely. I do have to wonder why the manufacturer doesn't bother to say what the fibers are made of. My guess is that it is polyester imbued with chemicals other than those historically used in children's clothing. That may or may not make the batting safe from a chemical standpoint. Without an understanding of what the fiber actually is, it's impossible to assess it accurately. It may be safer than regular polyester from a burn standpoint, but riskier from a chemical standpoint.