Flame retardants sound like a good idea to prevent our
couches and computers and carpets from combusting. Yet these chemicals also
accumulate and linger in our homes, sometimes winding up in household dust at
levels of health concern. That was one of the central findings of a recent
Silent Spring Institute study, the first to test for a wide range of flame
retardants in homes.
Institute researchers tested for 49 flame retardant
chemicals in household dust, the main route of exposure for people and
especially for children. Forty-four chemicals were detected. Most homes had at
least one chemical above a federal health guideline. The flame retardants found
in house dust include carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and chemicals with
unknown safety profiles.