Chemical of the Month

Brominated Flame Retardants

Compounds that reduce the flammability of products

Children born today may find it impossible to believe that cigarettes were once smoked on airplanes (banned in 2000), in post offices and courts (banned in 1997), and even in hospitals (banned in 1994). From a height of 42.6% of adults smoking cigarettes in 1965 to just 11.6% in 2022, a world in which smoke, flame, butts, and ash are a constant part of everyday life is unimaginable. The tobacco industry fought tooth and nail to prevent any regulation of cigarettes or smoking, but after decades of activism, health studies, lawsuits, and campaigns, nearly everyone can breathe air free from smoke.

However, the impact of indoor smoking continues today in less known ways, such as the continued use of flame retardant fabrics and materials. Cigarette design and additives in the 1970s allowed them to burn for as long as 20 minutes when set down, and up to half of all deaths by fire were caused by these smouldering cigarettes catching fire to furniture and clothing. (Cigarettes today are required to be self-extinguishing to prevent fires.) In response to burns and deaths caused by cigarettes igniting synthetic materials, new regulations were made in 1972 that required mattresses, furniture, and children’s sleepwear to burn more slowly. To reduce flammability in childrens’ pajamas, industry complied by adding brominated flame retardants (BFR) to fabrics, often in such high amounts as to make up 20% of the weight of the fabric. But just five years later, researchers found that the main BFR used in children’s pajamas, known as “TRIS”, was carcinogenic and was being absorbed through the children’s skin.

Flame retardants work either by generating non-combustible gases to eliminate oxygen and extinguish the flame, or by using chemical processes to decrease a material’s surface temperature lower than the burning point to stop fires from spreading. They can be added to plastic, foams, and other synthetic materials during the manufacturing process. Depending on the flame retardant used, they can either bind permanently with the plastic, or can be loosely mixed in as a plasticizer or filler that can later bleed or leach out. A class of chemicals called brominated flame retardants (BFR) are commonly added to plastics that are used to make foam, electronics, coatings for wires and cables, fabrics, and carpets. Health effects vary among this wide class of chemicals, but include endocrine (hormone) disruption, thyroid dysfunction, damage to the immune and reproductive systems, neurodevelopmental disorders, and cancer.

Flammable materials used in the home include polyurethane foam in mattresses and cushions and polyester in upholstery and clothing. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is a common type of BFR found in these materials, among others. When polyurethane foam is exposed to open flame, it quickly ignites, and releases both carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. If high concentrations of these gases are inhaled, they can cause serious health problems or even death. Polyester in clothing melts under high heat and can fuse to skin, and polyester-cotton blends are very flammable. Even though carcinogenic TRIS was banned in 1977, it and other BFRs do not break down in the environment, and TRIS was present in the dust of 75% of homes in a study conducted 35 years after the ban. It was not until 1998 that the regulations were amended to allow kids’ pajamas to be sold without flame retardants. People continuing to use old furniture and clothing treated with BFRs are also still being exposed to these chemicals.

The Fire Safety Research Institute conducts regular comparison studies of the time it takes for a small fire to reach a “flashover” point, or where high temperatures cause fire to spread rapidly, in two similar rooms. The first is furnished with natural materials like cotton padded sofa, solid wood tables, and hardwood flooring, the other with synthetic materials like polyester covered polyurethane filled sofa, engineered wood table, and polyolefin carpet. In a 2020 test, the naturally furnished room took more than 30 minutes to reach flashover point; for the synthetic room, it took under four minutes. Even with flame retardants in use, synthetic materials burn hotter, faster, and release more hazardous chemicals in their smoke.

We as a country took action to prevent children from being exposed to second-hand smoke —when will kids of the future look back and be unable to comprehend just how many plastics used to be in our homes, our water, our food, and even our bodies? Just like Big Tobacco, plastic manufacturers and users are fighting against regulations that would require them to take responsibility for single-use plastic trash, pay to clean up contaminated water, and remove harmful plastic additives. It took only five years for researchers to realize that the “miracle” BFR used in kids’ pajamas was carcinogenic, but another twenty years for this class of chemicals to be phased out of clothing. We have enough evidence today that plastic, its additives, and its manufacture are harmful to human health—we can’t wait another twenty years.

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS:
Beginning in the 1970s, most upholstered furniture began to use BFR in foam and fabrics. It was not until 2015 that some manufacturers began to phase them out. It is probably not worth keeping an old sofa around due to the presence of BFR and other harmful materials. Check this list of furniture makers who do not use BFR in their products: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/you-can-find-hundreds-couches-without-toxic-flame-retardants
Look for kids’ pajamas with a bright yellow tag (required by law) that state that they are free from BFR. Older children’s pajamas likely contain BFR and should not be used, even if they have been washed many times.
A 2024 study found that black plastic cooking utensils were contaminated with BFR, likely from electronic waste making its way into the supply chain. Use wooden, bamboo, or stainless steel utensils to cook with instead.
Choose natural materials to furnish your home. Not only will this improve fire safety, but will prevent you from exposure to BFR and off-gassing from synthetic materials.

Introduction to Hexavalent Chromium

It’s a highly toxic form of the element chromium that causes serious harm too human health if inhaled or consumed through drinking water.

Ethylene Oxide

A flammable toxic gas used as an intermediate and fumigant.

It is colorless, odorless, and has no residue or distinct feeling when inhaled. But it is one of the single most dangerous substances produced in Louisiana today.