Flame retardants in furniture have always worried me. Toxic flame retardants are found in upholstered furniture, mattresses, crib mattresses, carpets, draperies, plastic coated electronics and much more. Stain repellant chemicals are also discussed in the research and are linked to this.
These retardants can leave out of the sofas and get inside us. The chemicals transfer to our home environment. We call these and other molecules in the air volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The chemicals also make their way into the outside environment, with one study finding higher than expected levels of organophosphate esters in the air at 5 sites around the Great Lakes. There is no accepted standard to get rid of the chemicals, either; so they remain in our environment and have been found worldwide. As furniture ages it breaks down releasing even more of the chemical molecules into the air. The molecules get out of the cushions and adhere the dust in our homes, which we then breathe in. These chemicals make their way into our food and clothing too.
Once inside us, the chemicals can take five to seven years for the concentration inside us to reduce by half. Studies show that the chemicals are inside of 90% of Americans. In one study in California; which looked for the flame retardant chemical, TRIS, which was banned for use in kids pajamas 30 years ago, TRIS was still was found in 75% of the tested homes. TRIS is listed in California as a carcinogen. Studies have shown these retardants can result in endocrine disruption (interference with our hormones) and be neurotoxic, especially to pregnant women and children, cause cancers and increase the risk of asthma and lung infections in young children.
In a study at Duke University using American couches bought between 1984 -2110, researchers found that 85% of the sofas had either harmful or inadequately tested flame retardant chemicals in the foam. Ironically, many of the fire retardant chemicals used since 1975 did not even work to retard fire, according to testing by the U.S. Consumer Product Testing Commission and other groups. According to a paper from the U. S. Government Publishing Office in 2017, “Flame retardant chemicals are linked to cancer, reduced IQ, and hyperactivity.” Due to research in this area, California passed a law in 2015 called TB117-2013 which says that furniture does not have to withstand an open flame.
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