Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Dec 18;46(24):13432-9. doi: 10.1021/es303471d. Epub 2012 Nov 28.
California's furniture flammability standard Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) is believed to be a major driver of chemical flame retardant (FR) use in residential furniture in the United States. With the phase-out of the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) FR mixture PentaBDE in 2005, alternative FRs are increasingly being used to meet TB 117; however, it was unclear which chemicals were being used and how frequently. To address this data gap, we collected and analyzed 102 samples of polyurethane foam from residential couches purchased in the United States from 1985 to 2010. Overall, we detected chemical flame retardants in 85% of the couches. In samples purchased prior to 2005 (n = 41) PBDEs associated with the PentaBDE mixture including BDEs 47, 99, and 100 (PentaBDE) were the most common FR detected (39%), followed by tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP; 24%), which is a suspected human carcinogen. In samples purchased in 2005 or later (n = 61) the most common FRs detected were TDCPP (52%) and components associated with the Firemaster550 (FM 550) mixture (18%). Since the 2005 phase-out of PentaBDE, the use of TDCPP increased significantly. In addition, a mixture of nonhalogenated organophosphate FRs that included triphenyl phosphate (TPP), tris(4-butylphenyl) phosphate (TBPP), and a mix of butylphenyl phosphate isomers were observed in 13% of the couch samples purchased in 2005 or later. Overall the prevalence of flame retardants (and PentaBDE) was higher in couches bought in California compared to elsewhere, although the difference was not quite significant (p = 0.054 for PentaBDE). The difference was greater before 2005 than after, suggesting that TB 117 is becoming a de facto standard across the U.S. We determined that the presence of a TB 117 label did predict the presence of a FR; however, lack of a label did not predict the absence of a flame retardant. Following the PentaBDE phase out, we also found an increased number of flame retardants on the market. Given these results, and the potential for human exposure to FRs, health studies should be conducted on the types of FRs identified here.
加利福尼亚州的家具可燃性标准技术公告 117（TB 117）被认为是美国住宅家具中使用化学阻燃剂（FR）的主要驱动因素。随着 2005 年多溴联苯醚（PBDE）阻燃剂混合物五溴二苯醚（PentaBDE）的淘汰，越来越多的替代 FR 被用于满足 TB 117；然而，目前尚不清楚正在使用哪些化学物质以及使用频率如何。为了解决这一数据空白，我们收集和分析了 1985 年至 2010 年期间从美国购买的 102 个住宅沙发用聚氨酯泡沫样本。总体而言，我们在 85%的沙发中检测到了化学阻燃剂。在 2005 年之前购买的样本（n=41）中，与 PentaBDE 混合物相关的溴化阻燃剂包括 BDE-47、99 和 100（PentaBDE）是最常见的 FR（39%），其次是三（1,3-二氯异丙基）磷酸酯（TDCPP；24%），这是一种可疑的人类致癌物。在 2005 年或之后购买的样本中（n=61），最常见的 FR 是 TDCPP（52%）和与 Firemaster550（FM 550）混合物相关的成分（18%）。自 2005 年 PentaBDE 淘汰以来，TDCPP 的使用显著增加。此外，在 2005 年或之后购买的沙发样本中，还观察到一种非卤化有机磷 FR 混合物，其中包括磷酸三苯酯（TPP）、磷酸三丁基苯酯（TBPP）和丁基苯磷酸异构体的混合物，占 13%。总体而言，与其他地方相比，在加利福尼亚州购买的沙发中阻燃剂（和 PentaBDE）的存在率更高，尽管差异并不显著（p=0.054 用于 PentaBDE）。2005 年之前的差异大于 2005 年之后，这表明 TB 117 正在成为美国事实上的标准。我们确定 TB 117 标签的存在确实可以预测 FR 的存在；然而，缺乏标签并不能预测阻燃剂的不存在。在 PentaBDE 淘汰之后，我们还发现市场上 FR 的数量有所增加。鉴于这些结果以及人类接触 FR 的潜在风险，应对这里确定的 FR 类型进行健康研究。
