by Dr Jim Sprott

Cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS) is the biggest environmental disaster this century. It occurs almost exclusively in western Europe, North American and Australasia. Although it is not known precisely how many babies have died of cot death since it was first recognised in 1953, the figure is about one million.

Because it is spread over a huge population in many countries and over such a long time, cot death is not normally recognised as an environmental disaster. The deaths seldom make headlines or cause public outrage. It just continues, year after year, one death at a time, a seemingly random occurrence. Nevertheless, cot death is a direct result of environmental pollution.

It is caused by one or more of three intensely poisonous gases which arise from the mattress where the baby sleeps. The gases are phosphine (PH3) arsine (AsH3) and stibine (SbH3) and/or their lower alkyl homologues. They are formed by the action of a common and otherwise harmless household fungus on any compounds of the elements phosphorus, arsenic and antimony within the mattress itself.
This finding, which is now known as the Richardson hypothesis (named after British scientist Dr Barry Richardson who had discovered the identity of the poisons), explains every known factor concerning cot death, and also provides a simple means of eradicating it. Since its first publication in Britain, not a single valid criticism of the hypothesis has been put forward.

Warnings about risk factors, especially prone sleeping, have reduced cot death in all countries where the practice has been adopted, but this is only a palliative. The gases are more dense than air, so a baby sleeping face-down is more likely to inhale a lethal dose of the gas.

The Richardson hypothesis was first made public in Britain in mid-1989 and the cot death rate there started to fall immediately. This, together with face-up sleeping which was introduced in December 1991, have reduced the incidence of cot death by about 75%.
Unfortunately the established cot death researchers and societies, and the health authorities, in both Australia and New Zealand have consistently denied the validity of the finding and have suppressed publication of this research finding. There will be no real progress in eliminating cot death in either country while present official policies and attitudes remain.

For too long cot death has been regarded as a medical problem. But the cause doesn't lie in medicine. It lies in environmental chemistry, microbiology and toxicology.

The ultimate solution to cot death is to eliminate all sources of phosphorus, arsenic and antimony from all mattresses where a baby sleeps. This has been achieved in Britain but this is not practical at present in Australia and New Zealand. A means is required to render safe all existing mattresses, and also sheepskins. These too are a source of the chemicals.

This can be achieved by adopting the following technique: