Associations between flame retardant applications in furniture foam, house dust levels, and residents' serum levels

Polyurethane foam (PUF) in upholstered furniture frequently is treated with flame retardant chemicals (FRs) to reduce its flammability and adhere to rigorous flammability standards. For decades, a commercial mixture of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) called PentaBDE was commonly applied to fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment international 2017-10, Vol.107, p.181-189
Main Authors: Hammel, Stephanie C., Hoffman, Kate, Lorenzo, Amelia M., Chen, Albert, Phillips, Allison L., Butt, Craig M., Sosa, Julie Ann, Webster, Thomas F., Stapleton, Heather M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brominated flame retardants
Cohort Studies
Dust - analysis
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants - analysis
Environmental Pollutants - blood
Exposure
Female
Flame Retardants - analysis
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - blood
House dust
Humans
Interior Design and Furnishings
Male
Middle Aged
North Carolina
Organophosphates - analysis
Organophosphorus Compounds - analysis
Polybrominated Biphenyls - analysis
Polyurethane foam
Polyurethanes
Serum biomarkers
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Summary:Polyurethane foam (PUF) in upholstered furniture frequently is treated with flame retardant chemicals (FRs) to reduce its flammability and adhere to rigorous flammability standards. For decades, a commercial mixture of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) called PentaBDE was commonly applied to foam to fulfill these regulations; however, concerns over toxicity, bioaccumulation, and persistence led to a global phase-out in the mid-2000s. Although PentaBDE is still detected in older furniture, other FR compounds such as tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and Firemaster® 550 (FM550) have been increasingly used as replacements. While biomonitoring studies suggest exposure is widespread, the primary sources of exposure are not clearly known. Here, we investigated the relationships between specific FR applications in furniture foam and human exposure. Paired samples of furniture foam, house dust and serum samples were collected from a cohort in North Carolina, USA and analyzed for FRs typically used in PUF. In general, the presence of a specific FR in the sofa of a home was associated with an increase in the concentration of that FR in house dust. For example, the presence of PentaBDE in sofas was associated with significantly higher levels of BDE-47, a major component of PentaBDE, in house dust (10β=6.4, p
ISSN:0160-4120
1873-6750
DOI:10.1016/j.envint.2017.07.015