We all want the best for our children and family. By buying organic, using natural cleaning products, including plants into our home, we, at least I, think I’m ahead of the game of minimizing the infiltration of chemicals into our home and bodies. Wait til you read this article by the Environmental Working Group about how chemicals like PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are sneaking into our homes:

WHY YOU SHOULD REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO TOXIC FIRE RETARDANTS.

Scientists have found that exposure to minute doses of toxic fire retardants such as PBDEs at critical points in development can damage reproductive systems and cause deficits in motor skills, learning, memory and hearing, as well as changes in behavior.

The PBDEs in everyday items like furniture, computers, televisions and other electronics migrate into the home environment and could expose children to concentrations exceeding the EPA’s recommended safe level. EWG tests found much higher concentrations of these chemicals in young children than in their mothers - because children ingest more PBDEs. The chemicals migrate out of products and stick to kids’ hands, toys and other objects they put in their mouths.

Until all PBDEs are banned from consumer products (including imports) and fire safety regulations are revised to promote safer solutions, American families - especially our children - will continue to be needlessly exposed to harmful chemicals.

WHICH HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CONTAIN BROMINATED FIRE RETARDANTS.

PBDEs are most commonly found in polyurethane foam products (like couches and upholstered chairs, mattresses and pads, futons, pillows, children’s car seats and carpet padding, among many others), but are also in hundreds of other everyday products, including electronics equipment (like TVs, remotes, and cell phones), lighting, wiring, building materials, textiles, furniture and industrial paints.

Foam products made before 2005 are more likely to contain PBDEs. The type of PBDEs used in foam products has not been manufactured in the U.S. since 2004 and cannot be imported for use in the U.S. (through a loophole, imported foam products may still contain PBDEs since continue to be manufactured and used in other countries). Fire-retardant pajamas are not treated with PBDEs.

YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR FAMILY’S IN-HOME EXPOSURE.

PBDEs contaminate the bodies of nearly every American and widely contaminate common foods. Some exposure to these toxic fire retardants is unavoidable. But if you take these simple precautions around household foam products and electronics - the two home items where fire retardants are most commonly found - you can minimize your exposures:

1. Avoid PBDEs in foam.Newer U.S.-made foam items (purchased after 2004) are unlikely to contain PBDEs, because the chemical is no longer made in the U.S. and cannot be imported. But older products and imported foam furniture may contain PBDEs.If you can’t replace older items likely to contain PBDEs, you can still take these simple steps to reduce your family’s exposure:
   • Inspect foam items. Replace anything with a ripped cover or foam that is misshapen and breaking down. If you can’t replace these items, try to keep the covers intact. Beware of older items like car seats and mattress pads whose foam is not completely encased in protective fabric.
   • Use a vacuum fitted with a HEPA filter. These vacuums are more efficient at trapping small particles and will likely remove more contaminants and other allergens from your home. High efficiency “HEPA-filter” air cleaners may also reduce particle-bound contaminants in your house.
   • Don’t reupholster foam furniture. Even those items without PBDEs might contain other, poorly studied fire retardants with potentially harmful effects.
   • Be careful when removing old carpet. The padding may contain PBDEs. Isolate your work area from the rest of your home. Clean up with a HEPA-filter vacuum and mop to pick up as many of the small particles as possible. Remove all scrap foam from your home and yard immediately.
   • When purchasing new products, ask the manufacturers what type of fire retardants they use. Avoid products with brominated fire retardants and be aware that “natural” latex foam will also likely contain fire retardants. Because the replacement chemicals for PBDEs in foam are not fully tested for their health effects, opt for less flammable fabrics and materials, like leather, wool and cotton.
   • Support efforts to reform fire safety laws. Toxic fire retardants are often added to consumer items even though there is little evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks. For example, SB 772 in California seeks to exempt 4 items—breastfeeding pillows, strollers, infant carriers and bassinets—from the requirements that they be made fire resistant. Elsewhere activists have pushed for “fire safe cigarettes” which would dramatically reduce fire-related injuries without the use of toxic chemicals.
2. Avoid PBDEs in electronics.
   One form of PBDE (known as Deca) is still used in computer and television monitors and other electronic products. It’s not subject to any use restrictions on the federal level. Recently, it has been banned in Maine, Washington and Oregon. To reduce exposures, we suggest that you:

More…