Flame Retardant Free Furniture Guide
In order to meet safety standards, flame retardants were added to household furniture as part of California Technical Bulletin (TB) 117 in 1975. This bill was passed in part because of pressures from the cigarette industry as cigarettes left on couches were causing fires. Recently, concerns over the health effects of these chemicals and the effectiveness of the chemical to suppress a fire have led to the update of TB 117 in 2014 and now manufactures are no longer required to use flame retardant chemicals in upholstery. Yay! Products still must meet fire suppression standards, but added chemicals are not required.
See my other post for more information: https://medium.com/@graceesslinger/should-you-worry-about-flame-retardants-in-your-furniture-3817428a7519
Why Flame Retardants should be avoided
1) Because flame retardants are added to furniture and not chemically bounded to the foam, they can escape foam the and go into the air (Cowell, 2017). Once they enter the air, they can attach to dust particles inside your home. According to the EPA, we spend over 90% of our time indoors.
2) Flame retardants can disrupt your bodies endocrine system. They are “Similar in structure to thyroid hormones and are endocrine disruptors” (Dishaw, 2014).
3) Also… they can cause weight gain (yikes!). Rats exposed to PBDEs gained weight and advanced puberty in females (Patisaul, 2013).
4) Inhalation of dust can cause allergic type reaction but also toxic inhalation. “Flame Retardant emissions from mattresses containing polyurethane foam and viscoelastic memory foam (VMF) contain asthmatic agents” (Garrido, 2017).
5) Flame retardants can impact development. “Lower intelligence was associated with prenatal exposure to a highly chlorinated PCB” (Tatsuka, 2014) and “polybrominated diphenyl ether exposures were associated with 873000 lost IQ points” (Bellanger et al. 2015). Children may not be able to reach their full potential.
There are many options for flame retardant free furniture
This is important because if we sleep for 8 hours per night (hopefully!), we will spend 1/3 of our lives on a mattress with pillows and even more time on couches and chairs. While flame retardants can be found in a variety of household products, this post will focus on furniture.
Mattresses:
While a conventional mattress can be as low as $200, if it is that cheap it probably is not very comfortable. If you are willing to spend more for comfort, first think about your health. There are different options for mattresses without chemical flame retardants.
The Nectar Mattress is not all natural, but its pretty clean overall. A queen is $699 and is PBDE free!
Saatva uses an Eco Friendly Memory Foam made without PBDEs, phthalates or formaldehyde. “The cover fabric is made with an organic cotton blended with hypo allergenic fibers that meet flame retardant laws using a natural thistle barrier, while remaining gentle to the skin” (Saatva website). They also use recycled steel for their springs. While this mattress is not entirely natural or organic, it does not contain flame retardant chemicals. The price for a queen is $1,099 which is similar to other ecofriendly mattresses.
This mattress is all by far the most natural option. This mattress cost $1,399 for a queen.
Pillows:
A decent conventional pillow can cost $10-$20, but it is not uncommon to find one under $5. Given that for a third of your life your head will rest on a pillow, pillow choice is important. Ditch the memory foam and use an all-natural pillow.
Organic Textiles makes a pillow with organic cotton on the outside and cotton on the inside. Be careful, some companies will advertise organic but often it is only for the cover and not for the stuffing. Also if you are used to polyester pillows you might find that cotton stuffing is a little different and some people say it is lumpy so you may need to fluff the pillow for an even surface. This pillow is $46.95 and conveniently sold on amazon.
Avocado sells many different natural products including mattresses and pillows. Their pillow start at $79 and are flame retardant, VOC, pthalatate free.
This all natural pillow features an organic cover outer cover and down fill. The standard pillow is $99 and the most expensive option on this page.
Couches:
The average American spends 5 hours a day watching TV (if you don’t believe me then check this out:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/business/media/nielsen-survey-media-viewing.html)
If we spend 8 hours a day on a mattress and another 5 on the couch watching TV, it is important that our furniture does not pose human health risks.
Ashley Furniture is one of the largest and most affordable furniture retailers. In 2015, they announced they would go flame retardant free.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-flame-retardants-ashley-biz-20150306-story.html
Their Cardello Sofa sells for $499.99 and the fabric is a Polyester and Nylon blend.
Since 2014, many companies have claimed that they will offer flame retardant free furniture. Ikea is one of those companies and in the US, “mattresses/mattresses sets have a fiber fire barrier made of rayon/polyester batting with an inherently fire-resistant property. Flame retardant chemicals (non-halogenated phosphorous-based inorganic salts) are only used for some stitch bonds, piping and zippers on spring mattresses in the US”(Ikea Website). For sofas, Ikea is a great option for affordable furniture. The Nockeby sofa is $799 has memory foam and the cover is 78 % cotton, 22 % polyester. This is not all natural by any means but the price is fair and the sofa is flame retardant free. Ikea has a sustainability report that explains the companies supply chain and this information is pubic.
If you have some more to spend, check out Urban Natural for furniture. They claim to sell furniture that is “totally free from harmful chemicals and made locally in the USA” (Urban Natural Website). Their Younger and Co: Grace Sofa is a bit more expensive than Ikea and is sold for $2,205.00. The sofa fabric is polyester.
Summary:
While manufactures are not required to add flame retardant chemicals, some still do. There are so many options for flame retardant free furniture and there are far more than I listed here. When making a purchase, do your own research and make sure you are making a smart decision. Always read labels so you can be an informed consumer.
Sources:
Bellanger, M., Demeneix, B., Grandjean, P., Zoeller, R. T., & Trasande, L. (2015). Neurobehavioral Deficits, Diseases, and Associated Costs of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the European Union. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 100(4), 1256–1266. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-4323
Cowell, W. J., Stapleton, H. M., Holmes, D., Calero, L., Tobon, C., Perzanowski, M., & Herbstman, J. B. (2017). Prevalence of historical and replacement brominated flame retardant chemicals in New York City homes. Emerging Contaminants, 3(1), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emcon.2017.01.001
Dishaw, L. V., J Macaulay, L., Roberts, S. C., & Stapleton, H. M. (2014). Exposures, mechanisms, and impacts of endocrine-active flame retardants. Gastrointestinal • Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, 19, 125–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2014.09.018
Garrido, M. A., Gerecke, A. C., Heeb, N., Font, R., & Conesa, J. A. (2017). Isocyanate emissions from pyrolysis of mattresses containing polyurethane foam. Chemosphere, 168, 667–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.11.009
Patisaul, H. B., Roberts, S. C., Mabrey, N., McCaffrey, K. A., Gear, R. B., Braun, J., … Stapleton, H. M. (2012). Accumulation and Endocrine Disrupting Effects of the Flame Retardant Mixture Firemaster® 550 in Rats: An Exploratory Assessment. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, 27(2), 124–136. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbt.21439
Tatsuta, N., Nakai, K., Murata, K., Suzuki, K., Iwai-Shimada, M., Kurokawa, N., … Satoh, H. (2014). Impacts of prenatal exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls, methylmercury, and lead on intellectual ability of 42-month-old children in Japan. Environmental Research, 133, 321–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.05.024
Zota, A. R., Adamkiewicz, G., & Morello-Frosch, R. A. (2010). Are PBDEs an environmental equity concern? Exposure disparities by socioeconomic status. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(15), 5691–5692. https://doi.org/10.1021/es101723d
