 |
|
|
|
November 28th, 2012
10:35 AM ET
Research: Toxic chemicals in your living roomCould the couch in your living room be toxic? Some scientists say yes. A study in this week’s Environmental Science and Technology journal measured just how many toxic flame-retardant chemicals are in our furniture. Researchers found that 85% of couches contained some combination of flame retardant chemicals in their cushion foam. Aside from upholstered furniture, flame retardant chemicals can also be found in car seats and nursing pillows, or any other product that has polyurethane foam. In addition, it can be used in carpeting and electronics. Research has linked the chemicals to reproductive problems and low birth weights, as well as neurological and developmental issues in children. Other studies have found these chemicals to be associated with hormone imbalances and possibly cancer. However, the American Chemistry Council pointed out in a statement that such chemicals are beneficial. "Flame retardants can be an effective way to meet fire safety standards, and are designed to prevent fires from starting and if a fire does occur, slow its spread and provide valuable escape time." "This study confirms what we would expect to find: Furniture manufacturers use flame retardants to meet established fire safety standards, which help save lives," the chemistry council said. "There is no data in this study that indicate that the levels of flame retardants found would cause any human health problems." The couch study was the first large-scale survey of its kind, investigating the foam inside 102 couches from across the United States. Researchers say that most couches have flame retardants in their cushion and pillow foam in order to meet a California flammability standard, known as TB 117, that requires the foam to withstand an open flame for 12 seconds. Couches that meet the standard have a label that clearly states it meets the California standard. However, manufacturers are not required to label if they do use the flame retardant chemicals. Even if there is no TB 117 label, the study found that couches are still likely to have them. In fact, 64% of couches with no TB 117 label were still found to have flame retardants in them. Study author and chemist Arlene Blum explained, “The government makes rules that certain standards have to be met, and they don’t say how to meet them, but often the least expensive way to meet them is with certain flame retardants, such as Penta and Tris.” In fact, the chemical Tris was actually the most commonly found flame retardant in couches despite the fact that Tris is listed as a carcinogen in California, and was banned from children’s pajamas in 1977 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The next most commonly found chemicals in couches are known as Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, or PBDEs. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently investigating PBDE’s because of their concern to human and environmental health. In fact, the hazards are such a concern that U.S. manufacturers voluntarily began phasing out some PBDEs beginning in 2004. However, manufacturers have since replaced them with other fire-retardant chemicals. According to the EPA, “PBDEs are not chemically bound to plastics, foam, fabrics, or other products in which they are used, making them more likely to leach out of these products.” soundoff (908 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Next »Leave a Reply to GtnbCrulk
Next entry »This is your brain on smoking
« Previous entryGymnastics and acrobatics help performer rise above addiction
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my web site so i came to “return the
favor”.I'm attempting to find things to improve
my website!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!
bookmarked!!, I really like your website!
http://chtbl.com/track/118167/www.maseratis.net/
where to get cialis cheap https://ucialisdas.com/ – us online cialis generic cialis paypal payment
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this post plus the rest of the website is also very good.
http://www.codersclub.org/uchome/link.php?url=https://ocrvcenter.com/
I don't know about you guys but I am obsessed with airplanes. I had a friend in highschool that loved airplanes, so here are some airplane related stuff I don't know about you guys but I love airplanes. I had a friend in highschool that loved airplanes, so here are some airplane related stuff https://www.airlinereporter.com/2010/02/video-bird-gets-sucked-into-boeing-757-engine-during-take-off/
http://urlm.co/g/c/f/163872
Having read this I believed it was rather informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
http://www.codersclub.org/uchome/link.php?url=https://ocrvcenter.com/
onlinecanadianpharmacy Pilex weight loss
https://www.capital.gr/viewswitcher/switchview?mobile=False&returnUrl=https://cool-air-tech.com/
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/?URL=sanmarinoroof.com
http://dlibrary.mediu.edu.my/cgi-bin/koha/tracklinks.pl?uri=https://club-maserati.com
Howdy! I just would like to give you a huge thumbs up for the great information you have got right here on this post. I'll be coming back to your website for more soon.
http://www.capnordic.dk/redirect.asp?url=https://www.meticulousjessmarketing.com
https://www.sunhun.com/link.php?url=https://www.maseratiforum.net/
https://www.spsi.biz/Redirect.aspx?destination=https://eyedoctorphoenixaz.com/
https://www.edamam.com/widget/nutrition.jsp?widgetKey=4a7071d1-178b-4780-b73e-73fb5b417a60&url=https://arizonasvision.com/
http://trucktown.ru/go.php?https://sanmarinoroof.com
http://www.serbiancafe.com/lat/diskusije/new/redirect.php?url=https://www.optometristphoenixaz.com/
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both equally educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy I stumbled across this during my hunt for something concerning this.
http://www.volkshilfe-salzburg.mobile-websites.at/?task=get&url=https://sanmarinoroof.com
Good post. I definitely love this website. Stick with it!
http://senwes.co.za/LinkTrack.aspx?i=Sat24LinkAF&url=https://optometristphoenixaz.com/
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this article plus the rest of the website is very good.
http://drmshk.com/link.php?url=https://eyedoctorphoenixaz.com
https://www.audio-iwasaki.com/ys4/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=1551&url=https://www.sanmarinoroof.com/
I don't know about you people but I infatuated with airplanes. I had a friend in highschool that loved airplanes, so here are some airplane related stuff I don't know about you guys but I love airplanes. I had a friend in highschool that loved airplanes, so here are some airplane related stuff https://www.airlinereporter.com/2009/12/video-tour-inside-the-boeing-787-dreamliners-cabin/
http://privatejetstoday.blogspot.com/2010/08/private-jet-flight-attendant-jobs.html
legit online pharmacy https://pharmacylo.com/ Tofranil
https://www.ycaistock.com/home/link.php?url=https://www.maseratis.net/
cialis canada org doc http://cialisee.com/ cialis walmart
http://www.kichink.com/home/issafari?uri=https://360branded.com/
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be interesting to read articles from other authors and practice a little something from their websites.
https://www.ibar.cc/link.php?url=https://paradisepoolandspa.org/
Spot on with this write-up, I honestly believe that
this website needs a lot more attention. I'll probably be back again to read more,
thanks for the advice!
https://radar.techcabal.com/clicks/track?url=http://justlikesugar.de/blog/?m=202011&paged=4
canada pharmacy https://xlnpharmacy.com/ canadian drug pharmacy
Very nice write-up. I absolutely appreciate this website. Continue the good work!
http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/phpmyads/adclick.php?bannerid=653&zoneid=0&source=&dest=http://schizophreniacase.com/what-is-disorganised-schizophrenia/disorganised-schizophrenia-2/
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who has been doing a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me lunch due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to talk about this subject here on your site.
http://cc.toast.com/cc?a=godo&m=1&pr=pc&pid=&u=http://web-movimento.it/viewtopic.php?id=50541
http://www.peterblum.com/releasenotes.aspx?returnurl=https://developingprospects.com
http://icons.showingtime.com/rd/RD?c=REALTORCOM&s=FMREALTY&url=spokanevalleymarketing.com/
291628 583859woah i like yur internet site. It actually helped me with the information i wus looking for. thank you, will save. 195141
http://singhui.com/uchome/link.php?url=http://somaveinclinic.ca/treatments/healite-0
http://www.track.twshop4coupon.com/track/clicks/3171/c627c2b89e0522dbfe9cbd2e8d2b8914736245cb75e9f0ab416db1046005?t=https://bestlocalnearme.com
http://player1.mixpo.com/player/analytics/log?guid=066cf877-65ed-4397-b7f0-0b231d94860e&viewid=bc544d5e-b5bf-4fe5-9e87-271668edface&ua=fallback&meta2=http://www.internationalvw.com/&player=noscript&redirect=https://meticulousjess.com/
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this post plus the rest of the site is also very good.
https://www.info-az.net/search/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=675&url=https://www.pokers.co.in/profile/WilliamsBu/
https://www.ehso.com/ehsord.php?URL=http://internetmarketingoregon.com
After I initially left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I receive four emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a means you can remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
http://services.nfpa.org/Authentication/GetSSOSession.aspx?return=https://postfallswebsites.com/
Have you ever heard of second life (sl for short). It is basically a video game where you can do anything you want. Second life is literally my second life (pun intended lol). If you would like to see more you can see these sl authors and blogs
http://digitalnarratives.blogspot.com/2008/04/
cocaine and viagra http://loxviagra.com/ – is cialis better than viagra does viagra help you last longer
http://www.capnordic.dk/redirect.asp?url=https://www.nearmyspot.com
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who had been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me lunch because I discovered it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to discuss this topic here on your site.
http://redirects.tradedoubler.com/utm/td_redirect.php?td_keep_old_utm_value=1&url=https://ocrvmotorsports.com/rv-windshield-repair-near-me
I like it whenever people come together and share ideas. Great website, keep it up!
http://sepo.army.cz/WebSepo/Redirect.aspx?url=http://ocrv.pro/rv-dashboard-repair-near-me
Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological globe all is accessible
on web?
Have you ever heard of second life (sl for short). It is basically a video game where you can do anything you want. sl is literally my second life (pun intended lol). If you would like to see more you can see these Second Life authors and blogs
http://myvedana.blogspot.com/2005/01/life-online-annette-markham-has.html?showComment=1105005420000&m=0
online cialis generic http://ucialisdas.com/ buy cialis no prescription uk
You made some decent points there. I looked on the net to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.
http://www.aaronsw.com/2002/display.cgi?t=<a+href=http://www.boxtruckrepairshop.com/van-repair-shop-near-me-3
https://advocacy.socialpubli.com/site/redirect?url=http://ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-inland-empire-california/