Editor’s note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published on March 1, 2017.
In 1973, the U.S. government passed a law requiring all children’s sleepwear to be flame-resistant. Lawmakers may have believed they were preserving public health, believing that such laws helped keep citizens safe. But, to paraphrase someone, sometimes the medicine is worse than the disease.
Less than five years later, scientists discovered that the chemical used to make these flame-retardant fabrics (brominated tris) was responsible for the increased incidence of cancer. Brominated tris was banned from children’s pajamas.
By 1977, other chemicals began to be used to make items such as baby toys, clothing, carpets, sofas, curtains, and even crib mattresses fire-resistant. Growing awareness that the chemicals were causing even more health problems led to widespread concern. Consumer Reports noted:
“In 2004, these concerns led to one of the most widely used flame retardant compounds, called PentaBDE, being voluntarily phased out after it was linked to health problems and detected at alarming levels in people’s bodies. Many manufacturers began using organophosphates instead.”1
But a comprehensive study led by Duke University2 Two flame-retardant chemicals from a class called organophosphates have been found to be present in human urine. Worse still, the two most commonly used organophosphates, TDCIPP and TPHP, have been steadily increasing in urine samples collected between 2002 and 2015.
Experts say the reason this is a problem is because these substances not only cause cancer, but also fertility problems, hormonal changes, thyroid regulation, neurological disorders and endocrine disruption.
Exposure to flame retardant chemicals can occur in several ways
One reason organophosphates are so insidious is because they can be inhaled, swallowed, and absorbed through the skin and accumulate in fatty tissue.3 They also leak into the environment. Consumer Reports stated:
“More than 90 percent of the 857 adults and children in the Duke-led study had two commonly used organophosphates, TDCIPP and TPHP, in their urine. On average, levels of one of the chemicals, TDCIPP, were 17 times higher in adults in 2015 than in 2002.”4
Organophosphates are used as flame retardants and pesticides, although different organophosphates are typically used for each purpose. However, they do share structural similarities. According to National Geographic:
“Organophosphates attack the nervous system in the same way as nerve agents such as sarin… (and) are so toxic to humans that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to limit their availability to the public.”5
Why are toxic flame retardants still used?
Heather M. Stapleton, associate professor of environmental ethics and sustainable environmental management at Duke University and one of the authors of the study, noted:
“We know from animal testing that exposure to these chemicals in high concentrations has a variety of toxic effects… It’s a very controversial topic. We use large amounts of these chemicals in furniture, but there’s little to no data indicating that they’re effective at preventing fires.”6
Robin Dodson, an air pollution researcher at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, said: “We’ve known for a long time that TDCIPP is a bad actor, yet it continues to be used.”7
Many scientists and consumer groups believe the public is being unnecessarily exposed to toxic flame retardant chemicals and question whether the benefits outweigh the risks and, more specifically, whether there are any benefits at all.
Science Times notes that many of them are poorly tested for safety and likely do not provide the fire safety benefits many might expect.8 More and more state lawmakers are taking action against flame retardants.
For example, Washington state lawmakers have already banned the use of certain flame retardant chemicals (including polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs) in children’s products and furniture, but manufacturers have simply replaced them with even more toxic alternatives.
How do organophosphate chemicals harm people and animals?
Age and exposure are mitigating factors in the risks posed by organophosphates, as younger and weaker people are unable to eliminate the toxins from their systems. Furthermore, as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) notes:9
“Flame retardants may accumulate more in the bodies of younger children than in those of older children or adults because they breathe more air and are exposed to more dust particles relative to their body weight than adults.
The chemicals, which are widely used to treat upholstered furniture and even cushions on baby products, can leak into and accumulate in the air at home and in dust on floors where babies and toddlers play. Children’s frequent hand-to-mouth activity can also increase their exposure.
Needless to say, bioaccumulation of flame retardants can have serious lifelong health consequences, although health problems may not be easily attributable to daily exposure to chemicals.
As mentioned, human and animal studies have linked organophosphate flame retardants to cancer, hormonal changes, and fertility problems.10
What you can do
You can do your best to remove furniture, mattresses, clothing, food containers and other items from your home that may contain flame retardant chemicals, but given their widespread use, this is difficult and may be impractical.
Plus, if you ever leave your home, there are likely personal and environmental hazards around somewhere. However, there are steps you can take to limit your exposure:
• Get rid of the dust — Dodson and a research team at George Washington University conducted a study11 on household dust and found 45 potentially harmful toxins, including flame retardant chemicals.
Because people in the United States are indoors, including in schools, offices, gyms, and cars, about 90% of the time:
“These places are often filled with dust, which is more than just dirt. Household items like TVs, furniture, beauty products, cleaning products and flooring materials release chemicals that end up in the air and in the dust on our floors.
These chemicals can enter our bodies through the air and dust when we breathe, we touch contaminated surfaces, and we accidentally transfer them to our food or into our mouths with our dusty hands. And some of these chemicals can contribute to health problems.”12
Keep dust swept, dusted and vacuumed as much as possible, and maybe even invest in a quality air purifier system.
• Check the label on new furniture: In 2015, California instituted a law that says all new upholstered furniture must have a label telling consumers if it has been treated with flame retardant chemicals.
In other states, if there is no label, ask sellers what they know about where the upholstered furniture came from and how it was made. If you are interested in learning more about upholstered furniture, you can send a sample of polyurethane foam to Duke University for testing free of charge.13
• See all baby products — While some states have accelerated the phase-out of certain toxic flame-retardant chemicals in products such as baby clothing, bedding, car seats, and toys, many manufacturers have not received notification. EWG noted:
“In 2003, EWG tested breast milk samples from 20 new mothers for concentrations of brominated flame retardants, known as PBDEs. We detected these chemicals in all of the study participants.
This and other studies prompted the EPA and manufacturers to phase out PBDE use. But chemical companies replaced PBDEs with Tris, and Americans’ exposure to these substitute chemicals has increased dramatically.”14
• Get involved, be informed, and support efforts to reduce toxic chemicals. While flame retardant chemicals can cause cumulative damage to the body, removing them from the home and environment has been shown to dissipate the damage over time. In fact, 10 years after PBDEs were banned, research showed a nearly 40% decrease in the chemicals in breast milk.15
