Smarter Living: Family Health

Sofas along with the upholstery backing of any furniture, curtains, carpet foam, TVs, computers, laptops, and pretty much any heat generating electronics are filled with flame retardants that can leak out of foam and enter our bodies. A study published in May found that these chemicals can harm the brain's delicate development, sapping IQ points in children exposed during pregnancy.

Animal studies back up these findings, suggesting a link between flame retardant exposure during pregnancy and attention deficits, hyperactivity, difficulty with learning and memory, and low sperm count in adulthood. And a study published this June found that women with high flame retardant levels took longer to get pregnant.

Nearly every American—about 97 percent of us—has flame retardants found in older upholstered foam, known as PBDEs, (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in our bodies. These chemicals are extremely long lasting both in our bodies and in the environment, The PBDEs are not bound to the foam, so as foam degrades over time the chemicals exit via the upholstery and collect in household dust. (Note to self: Vacuum with a  HEPA filter to avoid kicking up flame retardants while vaccuming.)

In Household Dust and Food

House dust is one of the major ways that people are exposed to PBDEs, according to a new study published June 3 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Researchers led by Heather Stapleton at Duke University found that PBDE levels in dust collected from 12 homes corresponded to the blood PBDE levels in the people who lived in the homes. Dust can be particularly problematic if you have infants, toddlers, and young children who spend much of their time crawling on floors and putting their hands in their mouths.

The other major way that people take in PBDEs is from their diet. PBDEs make their way into our diets in a variety of ways. They have been found widely in the environment and in wildlife, and they can bioaccumulate up the food chain. They have been found in fish and dairy products as well as human breast milk. Breast milk, however, remains the best choice for feeding infants in part because it provides benefits that can prevent damage from environmental contaminants. Flame retardants also get trapped in dust in our kitchens so they may be hitchhiking on tableware and finger foods right into our mouths.

Health Effects

Once in the body, PBDEs can interfere with our hormones, which regulate our growth, development, and reproduction. PBDEs are suspected of disrupting thyroid hormone, which has a role in steering the development of the brain from conception through puberty. PBDEs are similar in structure to PCBs, another class of long-lasting, hormone-disrupting chemicals known to harm brain development. Several animal studies show that PBDEs may delay female puberty and interfere with the normal functioning of estrogen.

It was these studies in animals that led Kim Harley and colleagues at the University of California Berkeley to explore PBDE levels and the time it took for women to get pregnant. "Women with higher levels of PBDEs in their blood were about 30 percent less likely [than women with low levels of PBDEs] to become pregnant each month that they were trying," says Harley (Environmental Health Perspectives, June 2010).

Phasing Out The Worst Actors

Concerns over PBDEs have led manufacturers to slowly phase out use of these chemicals. Two of the most notorious PBDE formulations, known as Penta and Octa, were phased out in the early 2000s, and Maine, Washington, and California have banned them outright. "The good news is that we are not seeing Penta and Octa used anymore," says Harley, "but the bad news is these chemicals are used in big ticket items in our homes, so most of us have things in their home that date from before the ban."

A third type, called Deca, is still in use, mainly in consumer electronic devices such as computers and monitors. The manufacturers of Deca have agreed with the US Environmental Protection Agency to phase it out by 2013. Deca was at first believed to be less toxic than the other forms because it was thought not to break down or have persistent or bioaccumulative properties. But new science has revealed, it can also break down into the more toxic penta and octa forms. Recent animal studies are showing that it, too, is a concern. Deca has been labeled a possible human carcinogen by the EPA.

PBDEs are like the poster child for good intentions gone awry. The flame retardants were added to consumer products with the goal of preventing burns and deaths. For manufacturers, PBDEs were the most affordable way to conform to California's tough fire-retardant standard, called Technical Bulletin 117 (TB-117). Since California is such a large market, manufacturers will often make all their goods comply with TB-117. Because of this standard, California's children have remarkably high PBDE levels, according to two studies published earlier this year.

The Alternatives May Be Little Better

Although PBDEs are being phased out, other flame retardants are now being used to comply with TB-117 and other flame retardant standards. These chemicals include:

• TDCPP (tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate)
• TCPP (tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate)
• HBCD (hexabromocyclododecane)
• BTBPE (bis(2,4,6,-tribromphenoxy)ethane)
• DBDPE (decabromodiphenyl ethane)
• TBB (2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate)
• TBPH ((2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate)
• Firemaster 550

All these chemicals end up in house dust, according to two studies conducted in 2008 and 2009 by Stapleton and colleagues.

However, the toxicity of these new chemicals has not been fully explored. One study published in March this year found that in men, higher blood levels of TDCPP and TCPP corresponded with decreasing sperm quality. TDCPP, also known as Tris, has long been used in the foam cushions in car seats, while TCPP is used in a variety of foam products. In the 1970s, TDCPP or  Tris, which can mutate genes, was removed in the 1970s from children's pajamas after it was found to cross through the skin into the body.

Congress is now considering the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act, a long-overdue update to the Toxic Substances Control Act, which will tighten the regulation of chemicals used in consumer products (see Daniel Rosenberg’s post about the new bill).

Until these changes happen, consumers will have to do their homework to make sure they are buying products that are safe. Several electronics manufacturers have pledged to phase out the use of PBDEs (see "What You Can Do" below for a list). As for the big green sofa, I will have to start saving for a new one.

What You Can Do

• Call manufacturers to ask about their use of flame retardants.
• Support the efforts to reform chemical testing and regulation that are moving through Congress—Take NRDC's action.
• Vacuum carpets with a vacuum that contains a HEPA filter.
• Damp mop floors and damp dust furniture on a regular basis.
• Wash hands frequently, especially before eating.
• Vacuum and wipe down your car's interior regularly.
• Choose naturally flame resistant fabrics such as wool, cotton or jute.
• Purchase computers and other electronic devices from manufacturers that pledge not to use PBDEs, such as those listed in "Electronics Without Brominated Flame Retardants and PVC - a Market Overview" produced by the International Chemical Secretariat.
• Check the label before you buy upholstered furniture and if you live outside of California, don’t buy furniture that says it complies with TB 117.

last revised 5/11/2011