Removing old furniture made with fire retardants from your home can significantly reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in your blood. new 10-year peer-reviewed study California regulators and public health groups found.
The drop the researchers found was “a very big deal,” said Arlene Blum, director of the Green Science Policy Institute, who has worked for decades to reduce levels of flame retardants in consumer products.
“This is a pretty radical change in my opinion, and it shows how you can bring about change and improve public health through regulation,” Blum said.
Most furniture made from foam plastic between 1975 and 2015 contained any of a number of toxic flame retardants that cause serious health problems and are especially dangerous for children.
In 2015 California Requirements for some of the most toxic and common fire retardants used in furniture have been eliminated. At the time, the California Department of Public Health and Environmental Nonprofits tested the blood of dozens of people who had furniture containing the chemicals for flame retardants and monitored their levels over the next 10 years.
Levels of fire retardants dropped about four times faster in the blood of those who cleaned furniture with fire retardants compared to those who did not. On average, blood levels dropped by about half in just 1.4 years.
Flame retardants commonly used in furniture have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer, neurotoxicity, thyroid disease, premature birth, decreased fertility, motor skill deficits and decreased IQ in children.
In the mid-1970s, state and federal lawmakers passed laws requiring a range of products to meet flammability standards, including furniture, electronics, car seats and children's pajamas. But the first generation of flame retardants turned out to be very toxic, and in 1977 Blum led a propaganda campaign that helped stop the use of the most dangerous substances in children's pajamas.
Subsequent generations of fire retardants turned out to be almost as toxic as the first. In 2015, after years of pressure, California updated its flammability standards, eliminating the requirement to use chemical flame retardants in furniture.
Retardants often come off furniture and become attached to dust, which can be inhaled or ingested. Researchers found much lower levels of fire retardants in dust from homes from which furniture had been removed.
A few years later, the state banned some of the most dangerous flame retardants in furniture and other products, and Congress passed a similar measure in 2020. The furniture industry has largely moved away from using any flame retardants, Blum said, meaning levels of the chemicals in the blood of Americans overall are likely falling as furniture is recycled.
Blum recommends replacing furniture manufactured between 1975 and 2015 with products manufactured before or after that period. Replacing the foam in sofa cushions could be a more cost-effective protection, she said. If these options aren't in your budget, dusting regularly and using a vacuum with a Hepa filter can help reduce the amount of fire retardants in your home.
