A new study shows that when people replace their old cup with a new one that doesn’t have an extra flame, levels of the harmful chemicals in household dust fall dramatically. Replacing the foam inside the back cushions is just as effective. The findings demonstrate that choosing healthier furniture without flame retardants can make a huge difference in the daily exposures of people – especially children – to these toxic chemicals.
“We have long suspected that courts are the main source of toxic chemicals in dust. Now, for the first time, we have evidence that shows the positive effects of putting old furniture upside down. containing a flamethrower, “says lead author Kathryn Rodgers, a research scientist. at the Silent Spring Institute.
The findings appear in the journal International Environment.
Flames can migrate out of furniture into air and dust, and end up in human bodies. Knowledge of the chemicals has been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, reduced pregnancy, lower IQ, and other harmful health effects. Babies and young children are particularly at risk from crawling and playing on the floor, where polluted dust settles, and often puts their hands in their mouths.
Until recently, the use of flame retardants in upholstered furniture throughout the United States and Canada was guided by the California flame retardant standard known as TB117. Amid public outcry about the toxicity of these chemicals and the lack of fire safety benefits, California upgraded TB117 to a new standard called TB117-2013. The new standard is designed to stop smoldering fires in the fabric’s fabric before they reach the flammable foam inside, eliminating the need to add a flame retardant to the foam. It was implemented in 2014 and will allow furniture manufacturers to make non-flame retardant.
Healthy exchange
To assess the impact of the new status, Rodgers teamed up with researchers at the University of California, Davis; Environment Working Group; California Department of Toxic Substances Control; and Green Science Policy Institute. The researchers hired participants from 33 homes in Northern California who were willing to turn out their old furniture for flameless options. About two-thirds of participants replaced their entire cover. The rest replaced their foam.
The team collected dust samples from each household before the exchange took place, and then several times thereafter over 18 months. The density of flame retardants dropped dramatically after the first six months, and most remained lower a year after the furniture was replaced. The same waterfalls were seen in homes that just replaced the foam.
Of the seven types of flame retardants that the researchers tested in dust, two in particular – PBDEs and TPHP – reduced the majority. The fall in PBDE levels was not invisible due to the widespread use in furniture that met the old standard, Rodgers said. The researchers also noticed reductions in a group of flame retardants called chlorinated OPFRs. However, the decays may not have been as durable over time as the chemicals used in other products include clothing, plastics, adhesives, and rubber.
Up to status
“For decades, our population has been exposed to the need for harmful flames from their furniture due to flame retardant status that did not provide a fire safety benefit,” said co-author Arlene Blum, executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute. “This study confirms that the new standard reduces the experience of toxic flames in our homes. This benefits public health and also fire safety.”
Beginning June 25, under a new federal bill recently introduced into law, all covered furniture imported or sold in the United States must comply with TB117- flame status. 2013 California for upholstered furniture.
“With the new national flame standard, manufacturers are now confident that they can continue to make fire-safe furniture without the need for toxic flames,” said Andy Counts, President of the American Home Furniture Federation. “This is good for our business, and even more importantly, for the health of our employees and the public.”
Despite recent success in flame retardant removal, the global market for flame retardants is growing as the chemicals are increasingly used in other types of flame retardant products. practice. “The findings from the new study should inspire state and federal policymakers to reduce harmful and other ineffective uses of flame retardants in other areas such as television issues and building insulation,” Blum said.
What can consumers do?
Because furniture can last a long time, many homes still have furniture that meets the old standard and has a flame retardant. “Renovating old furniture can be expensive and may not be an option for everyone,” says Rodgers. “The good news is that our study shows that it can be replacing foam in your court just as effectively. “People can replace the foam by contacting a local foam supplier and ordering a new foam that has no extra flames.
It’s also important to keep dust levels low, Rodgers says, because the chemicals like them to hang out in dust. She recommends emptying using a strong brush with a motor brush and HEPA filters and cleaning surfaces with a wet cloth or mop. It is also important to fix rips in the fabric of the furniture to ensure that the foam is not exposed and wash hands regularly.
For more tips on keeping harmful chemicals out of the home, download the Detox Me app at Silent Spring.
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Funding for this project was provided by Healthy Babies Bright Futures; JPB Foundation; US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-G2013-STAR-K1); UC Davis Superfund Research Center, National Institutes of Health, NIEHS award (P42-ES004699); UC Davis Center for Environmental Health, NIEHS award (P30ES023513); and charitable donations to the Silent Spring Institute.
Information:
Rodgers, KM, D Bennett, R Moran, K Knox, T Stoiber, R Gill, TM Young, A Blum, RE Dodson. 2021. Will flame retardant collections change into dust after the replacement of old upholstered furniture? International Environment. DOI: 10.1016 / j.envint.2021.106513
About Silent Spring Institute:
The Silent Spring Institute, based in Newton, Mass., Is the leading scientific research organization dedicated to discovering the connection between chemicals in our everyday environments and women’s health, with a focus on prevention. Founded in 1994, the institute is developing innovative tools to accelerate the transition to safer chemicals, while at the same time translating its science into policies that protect health. Visit us at http: // www.