ANTIMONY IN THE DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT AND SIDS

Antimony intoxication has been suggested as a cause of sudden infant d eath syndrome (SIDS), but there is no evidence linking the disease to antimony present as a fire retardant in some cot mattresses. A possibl e alternative source of antimony is housedust, which is rich in heavy metals and likely to be ingested by infants. The present study shows t hat in four towns in England antimony levels in housedust are generall y high (median; 13 ppm) in relation to its crustal abundance (0.2 ppm) , and can occasionally exceed 100 ppm. These levels might account for the observed levels of antimony in babies' tissues and hair.