Uses<\/strong>: Flame Retardants were created to help prevent cigarette fires, but they quickly began to be used for mainstream furniture and electronic devices.  In fact, there is roughly 5 pounds of flame retardant in American households from furniture and other products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human<\/strong> Risks<\/strong>: Flame retardant is HIGHLY toxic and dangerous.\u00a0 It is designed to make your furniture less flammable, which seems like a good thing. But, it does not bond to the foam in couches or pillows, so it is very likely to escape into the air or surroundings. Even a small dose of flame retardant could permanently cause infertility, learning deficits, memory issues, hearing loss, reduced motor skills, and more. It is especially harmful for children and babies in the womb. \u00a0A 2012 American Chemical Society study found flame retardants can increase the amount hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide released during a fire. Invisible fumes and chemicals exposure is the leading cause of death in fires, so this is a major health risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental Risks<\/strong>: Flame retardants cause similar issues in animals that they do in humans. They can easily get into the environment because they are so heavily used. They affect aquatic life the most, but are also known to build up in soil, plant life, and drinking water. Because flame retardants take a very long time to break down, they will linger in the environment for years unless humans take direct actions to eliminate them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid<\/strong>: Anything that has BVO (a type of flame retardant) in the ingredients. BVO has and still is being used in some food and drinks as a preservative. Other listings to avoid are polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs. Since 2005, furniture stores have had to adhere to higher standards regarding flame retardant, so consider replacing some of your older furniture. Also, be careful with letting young children play with electronic devices, such as TV remotes or cell phones, because they could contain traces of flame retardant. Thankfully, there are more regulations being put in place for flame retardant, so newer products carry a lower risk. However, you should still keep an eye out if anything you own contains the aforementioned ingredients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uses: Flame Retardants were created to help prevent cigarette fires, but they quickly began to be used for mainstream furniture and electronic devices.  In fact, there is roughly 5 pounds of flame retardant in American households from furniture and other products. Human Risks: Flame retardant is HIGHLY toxic and dangerous.\u00a0 It is designed to make …<\/p>\n

Flame Retardants<\/span> Read More \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n