Flame retardants are used in a range of consumer items, from electronics to furniture, in an attempt to slow or prevent the start of a fire. However, these compounds are often not bound to the products to which they are applied, and they can migrate into household dust, and eventually, our bodies. Given the average American has flame retardants in their bloodstream, and these flame retardants are associated with negative health outcomes, the EPA recommends parents of young children undertake practical steps around their house to reduce exposure to flame retardants currently in use, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and alternative brominated flame retardants (Alt-BFRs). These activities include hand washing, especially before eating, and house cleaning, specifically dusting with a moist cloth, wet mopping, and vacuuming.
Published in the June 2018 Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, researchers from Columbia and Duke Universities put these EPA suggestions to the test for the first time. Using urine and hand wipe samples of 32 mother and child dyads from the Sibling-Hermanos cohort, researchers measured levels of seven flame retardants. The participants were divided into two groups, and for the first week, one group did extra handwashing and the other did extra cleaning. New samples were collected, and then both groups participated in both cleaning interventions for another week.
While no intervention was enough to eliminate exposure to flame retardants fully, one week of increased hand washing or targeted house cleaning was enough to reduce exposure by half. However, none of the measured flame retardants reached a level below the minimum detection level, indicating there is a need to look beyond individual behavior in order to significantly reduce exposure. Of course, the most important intervention to eliminate exposure to flame retardants is to remove these compounds from products where they are not needed. Health Care Without Harm’s Healthy Interiors goal is making progress in removing flame retardants from furnishings used in healthcare.
[Source: Environmental Health News]