Flammability Standards, Flame Retardants, a nd Healthy Buildings Arlene Blum, PhD

1. Flammability Standards, Flame Retardants, and Healthy Buildings Arlene Blum, PhD Green Science Policy Institute www.greensciencepolicy.org

2. SixClasses.org We can reduce harmful chemicals for a healthier world.

3. Periodic table of elements Halogens 3

4. SixClasses.org 9 F • Fluorinated chemicals • stain and water repellants 17 Cl • Chlorinated antimicrobials • triclosan and triclocarban 35 Br • Flame retardants • brominated, chlorinated, phosphate • Endocrine disrupting plasticizers • BPA, phthalates, etc. • Some solvents • benzene, methylene chloride, xylene, etc. • Some heavy metals • lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, etc. 4

5. 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)

6. 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) 10

7. PentaBDE flame retardant PCB • Used from 1975 to 2004 to meet TB117. • Chemical structure similar to PCBs, dioxins & furans. • Globally banned as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) PBDE Dioxin Furan Combustion Products

8. 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). R.D. Daniels, et al, Occupational and Environmental Medicine oemed-2013-101662Published Online First: 14 October 2013

9. 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

10. PentaBDE human health associations 14 Higher pentaBDE associated with lower birth weight impaired attention poorer coordination lowered IQ longer time to get pregnant altered thyroid hormones Eskenazi et al, 2010, 2011, 2012

11. Flame retardants move from products to people 1

12. 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 introduced • 85% have no health data • 67% have no data at all Michael Wilson, Green Chemistry in California: http://coeh.berkeley.edu/news/06_wilson_policy.htm

13. Regrettable Substitutions? Furniture, baby products PentaBDE Kid’s PJs Brominated Tris X X X X Chlorinated Tris Chlorinated Tris OBESITY, ANXIETY? CARCINOGEN TOXIC, PERSISTANT, BIOACCUMULATIVE MUTAGEN MUTAGEN Firemaster 550 Phosphates TOXICITY??

14. Do we need them?Flame retardants in furniture foam do not significantly slow ignitions Do not prevent fires or decrease fire hazard no flame retardants with flame retardants BUT do cause health problems Babrauskas 1983; Talley 1995; Mehta 2012

15. Google Playing with Fire Pulitzer Prize Finalist Goldsmith Prize Investigative Reporting Environmental Journalists Society Environmental Reporting Gerald Loeb Award Business and Financial Journalism National Press Club Consumer Award 15

16. 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

17. December 2010: three exempted January 1, 2014: 15 more exempted TB117 and baby products 17

18. 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/consumers 18

19. 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…” 19

20. Plastic foam insulations polystyrene (XPS and EPS) polyurethane polyisocyanurate TCPP HBCD 20

21. HBCD animal health effects • Thyroid disruption • Affects the developing nervous system • Developmental neurotoxicity in mice HBCD is bioaccumulative Average HBCD (ng/g)

22. 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 2012

23. TCPP animal health studies TCEP • Potential carcinogen • Accumulates in liver and kidneys • Affects nervous system development • More study needed CARCINOGEN TCPP ? TDCPP CARCINOGEN

24. Is there a fire safety benefit?

25. Majority of fire deaths from inhalation of toxic gases Average percent of flame and fire deaths by cause, 1979-2007 2% other 22% both 63% smoke inhalation 28% burns Hall, NFPA 2011

26. 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 28