California to Unveil New Flammability Standard to Avoid Chemicals in Furniture
Brett Israel
Scientific American
February 8, 2013
Environmental Science: Toxins
Summary...Flame retardants are being found in nearly all couches in the United States. It has been linked to human health effects. Potential health effects include, reduced IQs, attention problems and other neurological effects in children exposed in the womb or during infancy. The chemicals have been building up in human bodies, including breast milk, around the world. Sen. Mark Leno sponsored a bill to curb the use of flame retardant chemicals in consumer products, but did not last. Chemical companies have said that flame retardants are safe and that they are necessary to prevent dangerous fires from igniting furniture. A recent study found them in nearly all couches tested. In couches purchased before 2005, three out of every four contained flame retardants. For newer couches, 94 percent contained them, nearly all next-generation compounds with little known about their potential health effects. Children and pregnant women are more vulnerable to flame retardants. Exposure during pregnancy or early childhood may lead to children with poorer attention, motor skills and IQ scores.
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Reflection...I chose this article to write on because I find it very interesting on scientists were not able to stop the use of flame retardants in our furniture. What concerns me the most is the fact that people are sitting on these couches everyday and they don't even know what is going on in their bodies. And the fact that these types of furniture are sitting inside my house right now scares me because my nine year old brother is usually laying on the coach the most, and he has ADHD and has to take pills before class so that he can focus better. The pills itself helped for a little but after a while they became less effective. It is crazy to me that a piece of furniture can cause a child to have trouble in school and not to be able to focus all that well.
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