Think twice before sitting down.
From home furnishings to construction supplies, flame retardants are added to fabrics and other materials to curb the spread of fire. Despite being in common use since the 1970s, health experts have long known about the toxic threats associated with many of these chemicals, including cancer and birth defects, and as a result have eliminated certain varieties.
However, a new study to be published in the August issue of Environmental International has revealed that beloved broken sofas can throw harmful dust into homes at alarming levels, according to researchers at the Silent Spring Institute.
“They’re real risks,” said Kathryn Rodgers, lead scientist and author. Studies have shown that these dangerous substances are associated with hormonal disruptions, immunosuppression, some cancers and, most worryingly, problems in the development of the fetus and early childhood.
“When you look at some of those values, you say, that’s just a little dust. A drop in the bucket, “he told Fast Company. But after many hours on the couch, he explained,” these exposures add up. They’re day after day. And they’re real. “
What should a person who does work do? Use this vintage sofa or drop it and get a modern model, the researchers suggest.
“[They] it didn’t make sense from a fire safety perspective, because fires don’t start from the center of the couch. ”
Kathryn Rodgers, researcher
Flame retardants became common practice in 1975 after California, one of the largest furniture markets in the country, according to the Fast Company report, enacted a law requiring the additive in the manufacture and import of furniture. Soon, the foam material used to create sofa cushions across the country was impregnated with the provision.
In the early 2000s, scientists began to recognize potential health risks, and in 2013, California revised its standard, making the use of retardants in furniture manufacturing optional. In 2020, the federal government followed suit, supporting California’s ambiguous stance, meaning some factories continue to use retardants, though they are increasingly avoidable.
To find out how much damage old chemical-laden sofas cause to American homes, researchers at the Silent Sprint Institute listed 42 homes that were willing to replace their old upholstered seats. Dust samples were collected from these houses before the sofa change, and once the new seats arrived.
They found the initial samples full of worrying concentrations of fire retardants, which are released inside every time a body hits the pillow.
But with a new couch and six months in between, toxic dust levels had sunk well within a safe margin, the researchers found.
The findings suggest that sofas manufactured after 2014 contain significantly lower levels of these harmful chemicals and consumers would be advised to buy seats produced after that date.
Also, watch the code “TB117-2013” on the furniture label, which indicates that the piece was made after changing California standards. In some cases, the description more definitively indicates whether the material contains flame retardants with a “yes” or a “no” indicated as confirmation.
In the past, the American Chemical Council has stated that adding these chemicals to furniture has prevented some 360 deaths and 740 injuries each year. But the jury is out on Rodgers, who explained that better product design has made flame retardants almost obsolete.
“[They] it didn’t make sense from a fire safety perspective, because fires don’t start from the center of the couch, ”he said.