Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire
For many people, the thought of toxic flame retardants quickly brings up one image: toxic chemicals in children’s pajamas. That’s because back in 1977, the federal government had to do an abrupt about-face and banned a chemical then used on nearly all children’s pajamas, called brominated Tris, when it was found to be carcinogenic.
Toxic chemicals are the scariest thing we can think of this Halloween! And despite regulatory action, some of them keep coming back from the grave...
For many people, the thought of toxic flame retardants quickly brings up one image: toxic chemicals in children’s pajamas. That’s because back in 1977, the federal government had to do an abrupt about-face and banned a chemical then used on nearly all children’s pajamas, called brominated Tris, when it was found to be carcinogenic. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) stumbled again when the flame retardant’s replacement, known as chlorinated Tris, was also found to be mutagenic, forcing the agency to again remove a toxic chemical from children’s pajamas.
Today, these chemicals are no longer used in pajamas. But unfortunately, flame retardant makers didn’t stop making Tris compounds. Chlorinated Tris (TDCPP) is now one of the most popular flame retardants used in polyurethane foam, found in couches, car seats, and baby products such as changing pads. Its cousin TCEP, considered carcinogenic and a threat to fertility, has been found in the foam in car seats and nursing pillows as well as in plastic items including toys.
Tris compounds gained their popularity for use in foam after manufacturers phased out penta-PBDE, which was far and away the most commonly used chemical in our couches. In the early 2000s, evidence mounted quickly that PBDEs were building up at an astounding rate in people and wildlife and posing a threat to brain development and the immune system. Manufacturers agreed to stop producing penta-PBDE in 2004. Alas, when they did so, companies didn’t take the important step of searching out the safest replacement. Instead, they turned to chemicals already known to have health and safety problems.
We started researching Tris compounds in earnest after the publication of a study this spring finding widespread presence of TDCPP and TCEP in baby products. See the Chemicals of Concern section of our website for what we’ve found out so far.
Image courtesy of flickr user Michael Bentley
