Flame Retardants

Since the 1950s, synthetic flame retardant chemicals have been added to a range of products to meet flammability standards.  The earliest products were fabrics, then carpets, rugs, children’s sleepwear, mattresses, mattress pads, upholstered furniture, followed by plastic building insulation, automobiles and aircraft, coatings, adhesives and electronics. 

The repeated discovery of adverse human and environmental health effects of these chemicals, as well as the widespread exposure of people and wildlife to these toxic substances, raised many questions surrounding their use.  Firefighters in particular began to question the benefits of these chemical flame retardants.  As governments took action locally, nationally and internationally to restrict the use of certain flame retardants, many of the ‘safer’ alternatives promoted and deployed were later identified as problematic for human health or the environment – becoming quintessential examples of “regrettable substitution.” 

TURI is engaged in finding safer alternatives to various toxic flame retardants, while maintaining fire safety for everyone. 

Featured Documents

SUSTAINABLE ROUTES TO NON-HALOGENATED FLAME RETARDANTS BASED ON PHENOLIC MONOMERS. 2009.

The Academic Research program is a project of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI). The program taps the research capabilities of the University of Massachusetts to advance the investigation, development and evaluation of sustainable technologies that are environmentally, occupationally and economically sound.

MA Flame Retardants Law Presentation

MA Flame Retardants Law, 2020. An Act To Protect Children, Families and Firefighters from Harmful Flame Retardants

Gym Creates Healthier and Safer Foam Pits

TURI worked with a Massachusetts gymnastics training facility to eliminate toxic flame retardants in their foam pit cubes while maintaining fire safety.

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Local Gymnastics Studio Replaces Toxic Foam Cubes with Safer Solution

Donoma Gymnastics is one of the latest businesses to adopt safer alternatives to toxic chemicals and was one of six businesses in Massachusetts recognized at the State House this year for reducing their toxic footprint.

Related activities and resources

Massachusetts Legislation

Some of TURI’s work on flame retardants was in response to the Massachusetts Law, “An Act To Protect Children, Families, And Firefighters From Harmful Flame Retardants,” 2020. (Proposed regulations can be found here.) This law prohibits manufacturers and retailers from selling, manufacturing for sale, offering for sale, distributing in commerce, or importing into Massachusetts any product that contains any of 11 named flame retardants or their chemical analogues, the total weight of which is greater than 1000 PPM for any component part. The law applies to the following product categories: bedding, carpeting, children’s products, residential upholstered furniture or window treatments. 

In response to a request from the Massachusetts legislature, TURI supported with the TURA Science Advisory Board from 2023 to 2024 to identify analogues to the 11 named flame retardants. TURI identified 25 “close analogues” for review by the SAB. TURI also identified many isomers and additional CAS numbers of the original 11.   

Subject Guide to Flame Retardants

To aid in understanding this complex issue, TURI created a Flame Retardant Subject Guide.    

For general information about Flame Retardants, see this page of TURI’s Flame Retardant Subject Guide.  In particular, check out this Factsheet by the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences:  https://guides.turi.org/ld.php?content_id=70805694 

 

Consumer Products

Many common consumer products contain chemical flame retardants.  As people and governments become aware of the presence of chemical flame retardants, questions are being asked about their necessity and safety, as well as the hazards they present for people and the environment.  The following is an incomplete list of products that may contain chemical flame retardants.    

  • Children’s products – car seats, infant mattresses, toys, nursing pillows 
  • Upholstered furniture – in the polyurethane foam 
  • Gymnasium foam cubes 
  • Mattresses and mattress pads 
  • Building insulation – polystyrene and polyurethane foam 
  • Electronics – casings, wire and cables 
  • Carpeting and rebonded carpet padding 
  • Paints and coatings 
  • Textiles – tents, fabric blinds, fabric

For more information about the use of flame retardants in these products and safer alternatives, see this page of TURI’s Flame Retardant Subject Guide.   

Manufacturing and other workplaces

Oftentimes flame retardants are required in manufacturing products in order to meet specifications or performance standards but this is not always the case.  When planning to reduce the use of a flame retardant, the most important question is: is the use essential?  If the answer is no, then perhaps the chemical can be removed without losing any product performance.  If the answer is yes, then there may be a safer alternative.   

Following are the manufacturing sectors where flame retardants have been or are being used: 

  • Electronics – wire and cable, casings 
  • Polymers & coatings – foams, resins, paints 
  • Building materials – polystyrene and polyurethane insulation 
  • Adhesives & sealants 
  • Textiles – waterproof fabrics, mattresses, curtains 
  • Transportation – fabric, foam and electronics

While all processes are unique, see this page of TURI’s Flame Retardant Subject Guide for helpful articles about each sector. 

In addition to manufacturing, flame retardants are used in other workplaces, such as: 

  • Firefighting 
  • Day care centers 
  • Gymnasiums 
  • Upholstering 
  • Electronics recycling 
  • Construction 

For information about potential exposure and safer alternatives in these workplaces, see this page of TURI’s Flame Retardant Subject Guide. 

TURI’s Flame Retardant Subject Guide also links to short videos on this page on topics such as avoiding flame retardants, “My Toxic Couch” and flammability standards and electronics.   

Note: Flame retardants are different from firefighting foam which contains PFAS.  

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External Resources

Factsheet by the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences

 

    Walker’s Gymnastics and Dance Replaces Foam Pit Cubes

    If you own a gymnastic facility, you may not be aware that the foam pit cubes used to cushion landings contain flame retardants. Unfortunately, studies have shown that gymnasts, especially children, can have high levels of these toxins in their bodies. Janine Walsh, owner of Walker’s Gymnastics and Dance in Lowell, Mass., shares why she decided to purchase foam pit cubes without flame retardants. TURI provided a grant to help her make the switch.

    Gymnast Flame Retardant Collaborative Webinar

    Presenter is Courtney Carrington Courtney has a PhD in environmental health from the Boston University School of Public Health where she investigated flame retardant exposure among three populations nursing mothers office workers and gymnasts what you’ll hear about today she’s a former competitive gymnast herself and is the founder of the gymnasts flame-retardant collaborative she completed postdoctoral training at the Dartmouth Center for children’s environmental health and disease prevention research and is currently a postdoc federal post postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health that’s where her primary research focuses on endocrine disrupting chemicals and the effects on human fertility and reproduction the work she’s describing today was partially funded by the Community Grants Program here at the toxics use reduction Institute