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Furniture Flame Retardancy Partnership
What Is EPA's Design for the
Environment Program?
EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE)
Program works in partnership with a broad
range of stakeholders to reduce risk to
people and the environment by preventing
pollution. Partnerships focus on industries
that combine the potential for chemical risk
reduction with a strong motivation to
make lasting, positive changes. DfE
convenes partners, including industry
representatives and environmental groups,
who develop goals and guide the work of
the partnership.
As incentives for participation and driving
change, DfE offers unique technical tools,
methodologies, and expertise. Partnerships
evaluate the human health and
environmental risks, performance, and cost
of traditional and alternative technologies,
materials, and processes.
DfE has formed partnerships with a range
of industries including:
Auto refinishing
Chemical product formulators
Electronics
Printed wiring board manufacturing
Lead-free solder
Computer displays
Furniture
Garment and textile care
Industrial and institutional laundry
Printing
Wire and cable
U.S. EFA
Flame-Retardant
for Furniture Foam
What is the Furniture Flame Retardancy Partnership?
The Furniture Flame Retardancy Partnership is a
multi-stakeholder effort to investigate and
disseminate information on alternative
flame-retardant technologies for achieving furniture
fire safety standards. Partners include the American
Fire Safety Council (AFSC), the American Home
Furnishings Alliance (AHFA), the Business and
Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (B1FMA), the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), GreenBlue Institute
(GreenBlue), and EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) Program.
Pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE) has been the primary flame
retardant in the manufacture of low-density, flexible polyurethane
foam for furniture. PentaBDE, with its ability to delay ignition of
materials, has saved lives, but there are concerns over its use. Studies
worldwide have found pentaBDE to be widespread in the
environment and in human tissues. Because pentaBDE was voluntarily
phased out at the end of 2004, it is important to find environmentally
preferable ways to achieve fire safety.
The partnership was formed with the belief that enhanced fire safety is
critical and that it should be achieved in a way that minimizes risk to
human health and the environment
What Work Has Been Conducted by the Partnership?
The first product of the partnership is the report: "Environmental
Profiles of Chemical Flame-Retardant Alternatives for Low-Density
Polyurethane Foam," which evaluates the leading chemical alternatives
to pentaBDE for flame retarding low-density foam. Note, however,
that the report does not include an assessment of other
flame-retardant technologies, such as barriers or fabric backcoatings,
which may be used in the future to meet a planned CPSC national
flammability standard for residential upholstered furniture.
How Did the Partnership Evaluate Chemicals?
Leading U.S. flame-retardant chemical manufacturers identified 14
chemical formulations that are potentially viable substitutes for
large-scale production of low-density flexible polyurethane foam.
September 2005
www.epa.gov/dfe
EPA 742-F-05-001
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EPA assessed the hazards, potential exposures and
tendency to bioaccumulate and persist in the
environment for the chemicals in each formulation. EPA
presented hazard concern levels for key toxicological
and environmental endpoints based on experimental
data where available, or estimated data. EPA also
provided information on potential routes of exposure,
based on physical and chemical properties.
The screening-level hazard and exposure
information is presented in the report at three levels to
meet the needs of a range of audiences and maximize
transparency:
A table showing a qualitative summary of each
formulation that assigns a high, moderate, or low
hazard concern level for each chemical according to
the key human health and environmental
endpoints.
Quantitative summaries of the toxicity and exposure
data from publicly available literature, EPA's
confidential databases, chemical companies,
EPA's New Chemicals Program, as well as the
professional judgment of EPA staff.
Detailed hazard data reviews with a summary of the
availability and adequacy of data and a full data
review by endpoint. References are included for
chemicals that are not proprietary.
Which Flame Retardant Chemical Should I
Select?
The report does not rank flame-retardant formulations;
the Partnership agreed that no single alternative is
expected to provide an ideal solution to address every
situation. While not providing full risk assessments, the
report does provide screening-level information on the
hazard concerns and potential routes of exposure
associated with chemical components of flame-retardant
formulation.
Concerns over pentaBDE center on its persistence in the
environment and its tendency to bioaccumulate. The
flame retardants evaluated in the report, however, do
not appear to have concerns for persistence and
bioaccumulation.
The report contains the following goals for developers
and users of flame-retardant chemicals to minimize risk
to human health and the environment. Risk is composed
of two parts - hazard and exposure. These goals are
based on minimizing the potential for hazard and
exposure.
Low persistence and bioaccumulation
Low toxicity -less potential for harm, even if some
exposure occurs
Low exposure (e.g., some flame-retardant chemicals
may be more stable in the foam matrix, reducing the
potential for release into the environment)
Low potential for persistence, bioaccumulation, and
toxicity for breakdown products
Other considerations include:
Aesthetic and performance considerations:
appearance, durability, and fire safety
Process, equipment and cost considerations
Alternative technologies and design (e.g., the use of
barriers and inherently flame-retardant materials)
The report is available on the DfE website at
http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/index.htm#ffr
What Are Next Steps for the Partnership?
The partnership plans to develop and implement a
process to identify additional toxicological data needed
for adequately assessing the flame-retardant alternatives
reviewed in this report. In the future, the partnership
intends to evaluate additional chemical flame retardants
and other materials that may be necessary to meet
planned national fire safety standards.
How Can I Get More Information?
To learn more about the DfE Program or the Furniture
Flame Retardancy Partnership, or to obtain an electronic
version of this fact sheet (document #EPA 742-F-05-001),
visit the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics' DfE
Program Web site: www.epa.gov/dfe.
To obtain hard copies of DfE Program technical reports,
pollution prevention case studies, and project
summaries, contact:
National Service Center for Environmental Publications
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Phone: (513) 489-8190, (800) 490-9198
Fax: (513) 489-8695
E-mail: ncepimal@one.net
EPA 742-F-05-001
www.epa.gov/dfe
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