flammability standards, flame retardants, a nd healthy buildings arlene blum, phd
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Flammability Standards, Flame Retardants, and Healthy Buildings
Arlene Blum, PhDGreen Science Policy Institute www.greensciencepolicy.org
SixClasses.org We can reduce harmful chemicals
for a healthier world.
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Periodic table of elementsHalogens
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SixClasses.org
5. Some solvents benzene, methylene chloride, xylene, etc.
6. Some heavy metals lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, etc.
4. Endocrine disrupting plasticizers BPA, phthalates, etc.
1. Fluorinated chemicals stain and water repellants
2. Chlorinated antimicrobials triclosan and triclocarban
3. Flame retardants brominated, chlorinated, phosphate
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F17
Cl35
Br
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Flame retardants are used to meet
flammability standards
1973 Furniture flammability standard TB117 (Standard mandated by California legislation)
1976 Uniform Building Code for foam plastic insulations (Private code body)
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Why are flame retardants in furniture & baby products?
California Technical Bulletin 117:– Required filling inside furniture to
withstand a small open flame for 12 seconds
– No significant fire safety benefit
(fires start in fabric covers, not in fillings)6 10
PentaBDE flame retardant
• Used from 1975 to 2004 to meet TB117.
• Chemical structure similar to PCBs, dioxins & furans.
• Globally banned as a persistent organic pollutant (POP)
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Furan
Dioxin
Combustion Products
PBDE
PCB
Firefighters• Elevated rates of
– multiple myeloma
– non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
– prostate and testicular cancers
• Associated with dioxin/furan exposure.
G.K. LeMasters, et al, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 48(11): 1189-202(2006).
8 R.D. Daniels, et al, Occupational and Environmental Medicine oemed-2013-101662Published Online First: 14 October 2013
Animal health effects
• Chronic toxicity: long term impacts– Endocrine disruption: Interference with thyroid
hormone action
– Neurodevelopment: Decreased memory, learning deficits, altered motor behavior, hyperactivity
– Reproductive system effects: Abnormal gonadal development, reduced ovarian follicles, reduced sperm count
– Immune suppression – Cancer
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PentaBDE human health associations 14
associated withHigher pentaBDE lower birth weightimpaired attention
poorer coordinationlowered IQ
longer time to get pregnantaltered thyroid hormones
Eskenazi et al, 2010, 2011, 201210
Flame retardants move from products to people 1
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THE PROBLEM: 17Most Chemicals Are NOT Effectively Regulated in the U.S.
The U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (1976)
62,000 chemicals in commerce “grandfathered”
20,000 new chemicals have been introducedo 85% have no health datao 67% have no data at all
Michael Wilson, Green Chemistry in California: http://coeh.berkeley.edu/news/06_wilson_policy.htm
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Regrettable Substitutions?
Kid’s PJsBrominated Tris
MUTAGEN
XChlorinated Tris
MUTAGEN
X Chlorinated Tris
Furniture, baby productsPentaBDE
Firemaster 550
CARCINOGENX
TOXIC, PERSISTANT, BIOACCUMULATIVEX
OBESITY, ANXIETY?
Phosphates
TOXICITY??
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Do we need them?
Flame retardants in furniture foam do not significantly slow ignitionsDo not prevent fires or decrease fire hazard
Babrauskas 1983; Talley 1995; Mehta 2012
no flame retardants with flame retardants
BUT do cause health problems 14
GooglePlaying with Fire
Pulitzer PrizeFinalist
Goldsmith Prize Investigative Reporting
Environmental Journalists Society
Environmental Reporting
Gerald Loeb Award Business and Financial Journalism
National Press Club Consumer Award
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California Flammability
Standard TB117-2013– Implement on January 1st, 2014 – Mandatory on January 1st, 2015– 85% fabrics already pass– 15% need non-FR polyester batting between
fabric and foam
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TB117 and baby products– December 2010: three exempted
– January 1, 2014: 15 more exempted
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• Vacuum, wet mop and hand wash to reduce exposure to dust
• Buy furniture with a TB117-2013 label as they become available.
• Ask for products without flame retardants
What can consumers do?http://greensciencepolicy.org/consu
mers
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Recent Policy Actions
California Furniture standard TB117-2013– Smolder standard for cover fabric where fires start– Increased fire safety– Flame retardants not needed
California Assembly Bill 127 for buildings– Re-evaluates insulation flammability standards – “Provide manufacturers with flexibility in meeting the
flammability standards, with or without the addition of chemical flame retardants…”
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Plastic foam insulationspolystyrene
(XPS and EPS)polyurethane
polyisocyanurate
HBCD TCPP
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HBCD animal health effects
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Aver
age
HBC
D (n
g/g)
• Thyroid disruption• Affects the developing nervous system• Developmental neurotoxicity in mice
HBCD is bioaccumulative
EmeraldTM 3000CAS: 1195978-93-8
• Copolymer of polystyrene and brominated polybutadiene• Replacement for HBCD in EPS and XPS insulation• Chemtura production plant being built in China• EPA predicts possibly
-toxic from inhalation?-persistent, and bioaccumulative
January 201223
TCPP animal health studies
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• Potential carcinogen• Accumulates in liver
and kidneys• Affects nervous system
development
• More study needed
?
TCPP
TDCPP
CARCINOGEN
TCEP
CARCINOGEN
Is there a fire safety benefit?
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Majority of fire deaths from inhalation of toxic gases
Average percent of flame and fire deaths by cause, 1979-2007
63% smoke inhalation28% burns
22% both2% other
Hall, NFPA 201126
Take Home Points
• Many flame retardants are associated with adverse health effects.
• No evidence that flame retardants in home furniture, baby products, and building insulation behind thermal barriers improve fire safety.
• Widespread contamination of water, food, and soils; distributed globally by air and water circulation; end up in food supply.
• Use can be reduced and fire safety maintained or increased
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