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For most children, Halloween is a holiday of candy and costumes, where bellies are stuffed with sweets and fantasy characters are enacted.
But for one Warsaw girl, Halloween is much scarier.
Zoe Smyth and her family aren't afraid of ghosts or goblins at Halloween-time; for them, the scare is much closer to home. On trick-or-treat night 2000, Zoe's Princess Ariel costume, manufactured by Disney, caught fire in her front yard. The then-4-year-old girl was engulfed in flames in less than 10 seconds.
Zoe suffered first- to third-degree burns and endured six weeks of painful wound debreeding before she was considered past the point of catching serious skin infection.
Two other girls wearing the same Princess Ariel costume caught fire that October.
Zoe's mother, Edgewood Middle School principal JoElla Smyth, has made it her personal mission to ensure that no other children are endangered by costumes that meet only minimum federal flammability standards.
Children's pajamas and bedding are required to meet high standards of anti-flammability, while Halloween costumes are required only to not sustain flames, meaning they do not have to receive an anti-flame/anti-combustion treatment. All they have to do is stop burning once open flame is removed from the costume.
Sadly, even this minimum standard is not always met in costumes. The costume Zoe was wearing, along with others, not only continued burning, but melted a PVC pipe and burned wood stands used in burn tests after the incident.
Since October 2000, Disney has recalled all Princess Ariel and Cinderella costumes, both of which failed federal flammability tests. Two other Disney costumes, Sleeping Beauty and Tinkerbell, were borderline to failing federal tests, and were not recalled.
Disney costumes are not alone in failing or barely meeting federal standards for flammability. Costumes purchased by Smyth at local merchants were recently tested, with the assistance of Warsaw Fire Department, and many became flame engulfed in five seconds or less.
Smyth's goal is not to shut down the Halloween costume industry, but to raise its standards. Clothing made specifically for Halloween, a holiday where open flames are prevalent, should be flame-retardant, Smyth says, or at least have large, visible warnings.
Smyth's case, she hopes, soon will be presented in Washington to lawmakers. Until changes are made to protect children at Halloween, here are some tips for parents:
• Purchase costumes made of polyester or nylon. These materials stop burning as soon as the flame is removed. Note: These materials melt and can cause burns from hot liquid contacting skin.
• Buy costumes that fit close to the skin and are not as likely to brush open flames.
• Look for labels that specifically say "flame-retardant" when buying costumes.
• Light walkways and porches with Halloween string lights and flashlights, avoid using open flame where a child could contact it.
