Study: Californians Have High Flame Retardant Amounts in Their Blood

Californians have nearly two times the concentration of toxic flame retardants in their blood as compared to average Americans, possibly due to a state measure regarding furniture flammability, according to a study published this month by UC Berkeley researchers.

The study, published Oct. 1 in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, was co-written by researchers from UC Berkeley, the Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts and Harvard University.

Researchers assessed the concentrations of flame retardants in homes by analyzing dust in 49 houses in Richmond, Calif., and Bolinas, Calif., and 120 houses in Massachusetts. They also used previously gathered data from other houses around the country.

More than 2,000 participants from California and other parts of the U.S. were tested for the presence of flame retardants in their blood. The study found that the average Californian had 73 nanograms of flame retardants per gram of body serum compared to the nationwide average of 38.5 nanograms.

According to the study, the increased amount of flame retardants in the blood of Californians may be the result of Technical Bulletin 117, a mandatory standard that requires furniture sold in California to be able to withstand at least 12 seconds of open flame without catching on fire.

Technical Bulletin 117 forces manufacturers to pump flame retardants into furniture in order to comply with the flammability standard, said Rachel Morello-Frosch, a UC Berkeley associate professor of environmental science, policy and management and an author of the study.

"The flammability standard is a perverse incentive for chemical exploitation," she said.

Flame retardants enter the body primarily through household dust that comes in contact with the skin or is accidentally ingested, the study stated.

These chemicals are a health concern because of their link to the destruction of the endocrine system, which secretes hormones and other signals in the body, Morello-Frosch said.

Destruction of the endocrine system could lead to cancer, she added.

The potential health risks of flame retardants spurred some legislators to act against Technical Bulletin 117.

Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, urged the immediate suspension of Technical Bulletin 117 and the prohibition of certain types of flame retardants in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Oct. 6.

Leno stated in the letter that his own bill aimed at banning many types of flame retardants failed to pass in August.

Technical Bulletin 117 was instituted in the 1970s and sought to reduce the amount of house fires, mainly caused by cigarette smoking and poor building codes, Morello-Frosch said.

"It is a policy that is antiquated and no longer necessary," she said. "Even a lot of people involved in fire fighting believe that (Technical Bulletin 117) is no longer needed."

Lisa Page, a spokesperson for the governor, said Schwarzenegger has no specific measures planned against Technical Bulletin 117. However, California's "green chemistry" initiative will address the presence of all toxic chemicals in the state by restricting and regulating their use in products that may affect the environment, she said.

"The green chemistry program aims to reduce or eliminate all hazardous chemicals in our products and environment," Page said.

Some types of flame retardants that were deemed the most toxic have already been banned in California, Morello-Frosch said.

"But our study is still very relevant because people are still being exposed to the banned chemicals, since (the chemicals) are in their furniture," she said. "And even though these chemicals have been banned, some of their substitutes may not be much better."

Tags: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, POLICY AND MANAGEMENT