Why You Should Avoid Flame Retardants in Your Furniture

The Bad News:

That comfy, overstuffed couch you're so fond of lounging in may be not be as safe as it is pretty. Toxic chemicals used as fire retardants in furniture, electronics and other household items — known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) — are escaping into the air we breathe and building up in our blood at potentially harmful levels.

Scientists are still researching the long-term effects of PBDE exposure, but lab tests in animals have linked PBDE exposure to problems including thyroid hormone disruption (which can cause fatigue, depression and anxiety), permanent learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes including hyperactivity, hearing loss and delayed puberty onset.

Children are especially vulnerable to PBDE pollution, according to a 2008 report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit public health research organization. A recent EWG study found that PBDE levels in the blood of toddlers and preschoolers is typically three times as high as the levels found in their mothers.

Over time and with normal wear and tear — like, every time you flop down on your couch — traces of these chemicals slough off of products and mingle with household dust. Children, who are more likely to come into contact with contaminated surfaces while playing or crawling around on the floor, ingest PBDEs whenever they put their hands, toys and other objects into their mouths. Pets are at risk, too. PBDEs have been linked to a growing epidemic of thyroid disease in cats.

The Good News:

The U.S. production of two forms of PBDEs, known as Penta and Octa, were phased out in 2005 by the Environmental Protection Agency based on a voluntary agreement with the chemical manufacturer, but consumers still need to be vigilant, says Kathy Curtis, PBDE campaign coordinator for the Environmental Health Fund, a non-profit organization that works toward the use of safer fire retardants. "People assume if something is sold in stores that it's been through some rigorous screening to ensure safety and that's just not true," she says.

PBDEs may still be found in furniture made before the phase-out or from stockpiled supplies, and a loophole allows imported items treated with PBDEs, like electronics, to squeak by U.S. regulators. (Deca, a form of PBDE used in TVs, computers and other electronics, is banned in the European Union, but still approved for use in the United States.  Manufacturers like Dell, Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Samsung and Apple have voluntarily stopped using it and are phasing out other bromine-based fire retardants. Several states have also placed restrictions on these chemicals. Check the EWG report  to see if yours is included.)