Should we worry about flame retardants in furniture?

Dear EarthTalk: What is being done to get toxic flame retardants out of children’s furniture and other products?

Mary Sweetland

Seminole, Fla.

 

Putting flame retardants in furniture seemed like a good idea back in the 1970s to help protect against the risk of fire, but our insistence on safety has come back to haunt us. The chemicals “off-gassing” from these flame retardants can be toxic, especially to the kids they are meant to protect in the first place. “Scientists have found that exposure to toxic fire-retardant-chemicals at critical points in development can damage the reproductive system and cause deficits in motor skills, learning, memory and behavior,” reports the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG). Some of these chemicals have even been linked to cancer.

Manufacturers started putting flame retardants into their products in the mid-1970s after legislators in California passed a law requiring polyurethane foam in furniture to resist catching fire after exposure to an open flame for 12 seconds. Given the importance of the California market and the fact that other states soon enacted similar requirements, adding flame retardants to furniture foam became standard practice across the country.

But a flurry of research in the early 2000s called into question both the effectiveness and safety of common flame retardants, and, ever since, environmentalists have been working hard to eliminate such questionable chemicals from our living rooms. In 2013, California finally updated its rule on flame retardants, replacing the old open flame test with a new smolder test that assesses the ability of the furniture covering — not the foam padding — to withstand catching fire. State regulators estimate that some 85 percent of furniture fabrics currently on the market can pass the new smolder test without the benefit of flame retardant chemicals. In addition, a wide variety of kids’ products, including car seats, play mats, highchair pads and infant mattress pads, are no longer required to contain flame retardants. Additionally, California now requires labels on upholstered furniture sold there detailing whether or not flame retardants are present. 

•••

Unfortunately, consumers outside of California will have to do their own research to steer clear of flame retardants. EWG suggests checking in directly with manufacturers to see if their products contain flame retardants, or limiting your shopping to retailers that specialize in so-called “organic” (read: chemical-free) furniture, such as Elka Home, Furnature, Green Sofas, Eco Select Furniture and Viesso, among others.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), another leading nonprofit active in the effort to ban toxic flame retardants, recommends replacing not just the fabric but also the foam during reupholster projects, as most foam manufactured before 2004 is likely off-gassing toxic chemicals. Likewise, NRDC says to be careful removing old carpeting, as the degraded scrap foam in the underlying padding can also release copious amount of noxious flame retardants. Other ways to minimize flame retardant exposure include regular wet-mopping of the floors around the house and using a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter. Consumers can also take a stand against toxic flame retardants by signing onto NRDC’s MoveOn.org petition calling on the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission to adopt a new nationwide standard to prevent the use of toxic chemicals in furniture foam and other everyday items.

Contacts: EWG: www.ewg.org; NRDC: www.nrdc.org;MoveOn.org: www.moveon.org.

 

EarthTalk is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss, and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

Latest News

Welcome!

Special Subscription Offer

We’re delighted to offer you the special 50% off discount rate to The Lakeville Journal.

Simply press the “Special Subscription Offer” button below and you will be directed to our Subscription Page.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephen S. Myers

LAKEVILLE — Stephen S. Myers, 82, of Lakeville, (formerly of New York City, Almond, New York, Kane’ohe, Hawaii, and Fair Oaks, California) passed away peacefully at his home on Nov. 30, 2024. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth “Betsy” (Phelan), his two sons Matthew and Shepherd, two nephews and three nieces.

Stephen was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, on Oct. 29, 1942, the son of the late Elwood Mosman and Donnie Marguerite Myers. Growing up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Stephen struggled with dyslexia in multiple high schools, ultimately graduating from Avon Old Farms High School in Avon, Connecticut.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ella L. Clark

WEST CORNWALL — Ella L. Clark, 83, a social worker, writer, and lover of nature and the Post Office, died Nov. 7, 2024 at Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, after an acute stroke. Her family was with her in her last week.

Ella was predeceased by her parents, Benjamin S. and Charlotte L. Clark, her brother, Benjamin Clark, and her sister Tib Clark. Ella is survived by her daughter, Cristina Mathews of Fort Bragg, California, and her husband Jason and son Milo, her son Alexander Mathews, of Newton, Massachusetts, and his wife Olivia and children Ariana, Damian, and Torey, her daughter Jessica Meyer, of Pacific Palisades, California, and her husband Tim and children Ione and Nikos; and her sister Charlotte de Bresson of Paris.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Graeme Townsend

SALISBURY — David Graeme Townsend was born July 23, 1930, in Mineola, New York, to Rachel Townsend (Maxtone-Graham) and Greenough Townsend. David and his older brother Antone grew up in New York City and Long Island. Some of his early life was spent in Scotland in his mother’s family home, Cultoquhey, which is near Perth in the Highlands. Here he enjoyed summers with all his Maxtone-Graham cousins. Many of these cousins would remain close with David for his entire life. One cousin, Charles Smythe, even came to America to live with David and his family during the war where Charles became like a brother to David and Antone. David went to St. George’s in Newport, Rhode Island for a while and then on to Lawrenceville in New Jersey. He finished high school at the Basil Patterson School in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Immediately after high school, David enrolled in the US Marine Corps and served two tours in the Korean War. He was always very proud of his military service. After his service David attended the Sorbonne University in Paris for two years and then the University of Madrid for one year. Even though David never finished his formal education, he always remained an avid student of history and language. In his travels his skill with foreign languages was sometimes a problem because he spoke with such a good accent that it was sometimes falsely assumed that he was fluent.

Keep ReadingShow less