Flame retardants are a familiar fact of life in our culture, providing increased fire safety for furniture, curtains, children's sleepware, etc., but many are toxic and some are far more toxic than others.
In an effort to better inform consumers, in September California adopted a new law requiring furniture makers to label their products with a disclosure of the fireproofing chemicals they use.
California Makes it Law: Label Toxic Flame Retardants in Furniture | Environmental Working Group
At the same time legislators called for a stricter law that would ban the 10 most toxic flame retardants, which have the greatest potential for harmful effects.
Sen. Charles Schumer Proposes Ban On 10 Flame Retardants In Kids Products « CBS New York
Surprisingly, with so much attention on toxic flame retardants lately, nobody has really understood how they are getting into the environment, especially the more harmful ones that are typically only used for curtains and upholstery, which are rarely laundered. Finally, a new research project has answered the question...
Quote:
Mystery solved: How toxic flame retardants get into the environment
SEATTLE -- Scientists have well chronicled the vast reach of flame retardants in waterways and wildlife -- even in the most remote corners of the planet.
But exactly how toxic flame retardants get from inside homes and then out into the environment has never been confirmed until now, says the author of a new study.
The peer-reviewed study published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found household flame retardants, a portion of which degrades into dust, cling to our clothing and are then washed away in our washing machines.
The wastewater then goes to municipal treatment plants, where it passes through into the environment. While some levels of certain kinds of flame retardants tend to cling to sludge and then disposed on land, much of it is water soluble and exits the treatment plants directly into waterways.
"The levels that we found in the effluent add up to make these a very significant water pollutant," said Erika Schreder, study lead author and staff scientist with the Washington (State) Toxics Coalition. "The fact that these flame retardants are being discharged in large quantities into our waterways is a threat to human health and it's a threat to our fish and wildlife."
Mystery solved: How household toxics get into the environment | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
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