Flame Retardants in Mothers and Their Toddlers

A new study released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that the levels of flame retardants were 3 times higher in toddlers than in their mothers. The flame retardants are hormone-disrupting chemicals and they build up in our bodies. They are found practically everywhere around us – in the sofas, chairs, mattresses, carpet, curtains, laptops, computers and other electronics, etc. It looks like they are also found in dust and the researchers are not sure how it gets there.

The researchers examined 20 American families and they found that in 19 of them, concentrations of the chemicals known as PBDEs were significantly higher in 1.5- to 4-year-old children than their mothers. In total 11 different flame retardants were found in these children, and 86 percent of the time the chemicals were present at higher levels in the children than their mothers.

Two forms of PBDEs known as Penta and Octa are banned in the U.S., but are still found in furniture and foam items made before the phase-out was complete. The largest volume of PBDEs are used in electronics in a form known as Deca. Deca is banned in European electronics and in some U.S. states. Deca was found in higher concentrations in kids than in their mothers as seen in the figure (adapted from EWG). For the full report go here.

Although there are safer alternatives, the industry continues to use them on a large scale.

What to do:

• avoid PBDE's in electronics; next time when you need to purchase new electronics look for companies that ban brominated flame retardants in their products.
• avoid PBDE's in foam; all furniture that has foam in it has also flame retardants. Vacuum your furniture and carpet often; be careful when removing old carpet (ventilate well). When purchasing new products, ask the manufacturer what flame retardants are they using. Ikea is always a good place to shop, since they phased out all PBDE's many years ago.
• do not reupholster your old furniture.
• the alternatives of PBDE's are not fully tested for their health effects so try to buy products made from naturally fibers (wool and cotton) because they are naturally flame resistant. However, be careful when purchasing organic furniture; it still can have flame retardants.
• wash your hand often and make a habit for the kids as well; their hands seem to be more full of dust since they spend more time playing on the floor.
• some additional advice can be found in a previous post.
  

Mattresses Free of Polybrominated Flame Retardants

I was searching these days for a new mattress. I wanted to find one that is not using polybrominated flame retardants and still not very expensive. After many reviews I ended up buying a Sealy Posturepedic mattress which is free of Teflon stain- and water-resistant treatment and uses the new fiber-based flame-retardant barriers. Other alternative would be to buy the ones from Ikea which contain alternative flame retardants. However, probably the safest ones are those made from organic cotton or organic wool and natural latex but they are quite expensive. Using an encasement made from organic cotton on your Sealy or Ikea mattress it will reduce more your exposure to VOCs and block allergenic dust mites.

The Polybrominated Flame Retardants are flame retardants found in mattresses, household products, fabrics, furniture, and electronics. They accumulate in the breast milk and are toxic to human health. The EU has banned the use of Penta- and OctaBDE since 2004 while in the US is heavily used especially in the polyurethane foams. In the State of California the sale of penta- and octa- PBDE and products containing them is banned since January 1, 2008. In 2007, the legislature of the state of Washington passed a bill banning the use of PBDEs and the state of Maine passed a bill phasing out the use of DecaBDE.

For a comprehensive review about the flame retardants follow this link: Brominated Flame Retardants: Cause for Concern?