FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK
FACTSHEET
Toxic furniture – the effects of flame retardants and other chemicals
This
factsheet covers:
* The products - new computer, mattress, lounge suite,
and sound speakers
* The symptoms – sore throat, depression, headaches,
sensitivity to smells, foggy brain, fatigue and asthma
* Flame retardants – the evidence
* What you can do
The products
Flame retardants are used increasingly in electrical
goods, foam and soft furnishings. They can cause a range of reactions. Other
chemicals such as plasticizers may also be a cause of reactions.
New computer
When my husband bought me a new computer, I developed
a sore throat, headache, severe foggy brain, fatigue and inability to
concentrate within hours of using it, and an increased sensitivity to perfumes
after a few days. When he tried to use it the same thing happened to him. The
retailers refused to take us seriously. After 18 months of running it in the
garage waiting for it to gas off (it gassed off slightly), we took the
hardly-used computer to an internet café and sold it for $500, a loss of $1500.
Flame
retardants in computers – the research
Research from
Triphenyl phosphate is a chemical compound widely used
as a flame retardant in the plastic of video monitors and other products.
Computer monitors emit the compound when their temperature rises during normal
operations, said Conny Ostman, lead author of the study, from
"We have focused our interest on this compound
since it has been proven to be a contact allergen to man and due to the fact
that a number of workers in Sweden have acquired health problems related to
computer work," Ostman said. The researchers measured the level of the
compound in the "breathing zone," located about two feet in front of
the video screen. The emissions levels dropped sharply after eight days of
continuous operation, the researchers found, but remained 10 times higher than the
background level even after 183 days - roughly the equivalent of about two
years of working use.
Computers are a significant source of allergenic
emissions in small indoor environments like offices, Ostman said. Even with
adequate ventilation, the compound may be a potential health hazard for
computer users, he warned. The researchers found appreciable concentrations of
the compound in 10 of the 18 brand new video monitors they tested, but declined
to name their manufacturer, saying that almost all manufacturers use the same
flame retardant compound, and that the presence and levels of triphenyl
phosphate in monitors varied with the place where they were manufactured.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
sets a safety limit of three milligrams per cubic meter of air for triphenyl
phosphate, noting that it can cause changes in blood enzymes in humans. The
chemical is also classified as causing "occupational allergic contact
dermatitis." A concentration of 1,000 milligrams per cubic meter of air is
listed as "immediately dangerous to life or health" by the National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. The hotter the computer monitors
get, the more triphenyl phosphate is emitted by their plastic covers
Besides its use in plastic products, triphenyl
phosphate is also an ingredient in some pesticides.
- from
Chemical in Computer Monitors Triggers Allergies, Illness by Cat Lazaroff,
Washington, DC, September 19, 2000, Environment News Service www.ens-newswire.com
What you can do
* Buy a flat screen.
* Buy a display computer that has already been running
in the shop.
* Buy a low-emission computer (Dell offers one).
* Ask sales staff to carry all products you intend to
purchase outside into the carpark so you can smell the items away from all the
other smells of the shop. Once you have purchased a computer, you will not be
able to return it.
* Allow the product to gas off in garage or well
ventilated area such as a verandah (or tent). For some products a few weeks or
months of gassing off will be enough.
New speakers
for CD player
“After several months, my husband simply had to return
the speakers he'd bought for the CD player as after several months they smelled
as bad as ever and we couldn't have them anywhere we were spending time. He swapped to a different brand and also
insisted on taking their shop display model.
We had no problem after that” – reader, NZ
And another
computer story – mould odor
I am inquiring whether there are similar experiences
out there with a source of a mold odor in an office. For the past several weeks, we had a moldy
"old book" type odor in our office and the cause has been identified
as a Dell Model M992, 19 inch computer monitor that was made in
Numerous complaints about odors in the south side of
the 3rd floor began on Wednesday, April 23.
Most people described the odor as moldy or musty, smells like old musty
books. Several people said they had
headaches and eye irritation associated with the odors. We initially thought it might be associated
with the ventilation system since HVAC preventative maintenance occurred at
about the same day and time. The odor
was temporal in nature, it began about 8:30 AM, was strongest around 10 AM to
11:00 AM and went away about 5:00 PM. We tried using smoke tubes to look at airflow
patterns and using a moisture meter to check for damp materials, but nothing
obvious was found. Although the odor
pattern was different than the HVAC operation times, we tried various things
like shutting off the supply duct in the local area, and even had the entire
HVAC system shut down over a weekend until 10:00 Am on Monday morning. There were no odors over the weekend and once
again the odor returned about 8:30 AM on Monday morning without the HVAC
on. So we figured there was a local
source with a pattern that was similar to someone's 8 to 4:30 work
schedule. But during this 3 week period,
we emptied and moved file cabinets, smelled rugs, plants, books and anything
else that might be associated with a moldy book type odor. Finally, a couple of the scientists here put
it together. Someone in the immediate area of the odor got a new computer on
April 23 and the temporal pattern of the odor fit their work hours. After the monitor was moved to a distant
office, the smell went away and that new office had a strong moldy odor.
If I had to
make a list of things that might cause this odor, a new computer monitor would
be on the bottom of my list. Go figure!
Anyone else with similar experiences, I would like to hear about them. Thanks.
- Gerald McDonald, Indoor Health Assessment Section,
Bureau of Toxic Substance Assessment, New York State Department of Health gjm04@health.state.ny.us
Flame retardants and other
chemicals in foam: mattresses and lounge suites
New mattress
(1)
I normally have an optimistic person outlook and do
not experience depression. After three days of living with a new mattress, I
had to move it outside because the effect was so marked – depression within six
hours of exposure. The suppliers agreed the mattress had a strong, unpleasant
chemical smell and exchanged it for another non-smelly model that was perfectly
satisfactory.
New mattress
(2)
A nine year old boy from the NT suffered from snoring
and sleep apnoea. The elimination diet revealed that a few food additives were
responsible – sunset yellow (110), the bread preservative (282) and MSG (621).
When he later developed the problem while avoiding his food triggers, a new
mattress turned out to be the cause.
New Lounge
suite
When we bought a new lounge suite - carefully ordered
with 100% cotton covering, no chemicals - the effects started within 6 hours of
delivery. The range of effects in household members, visiting relatives and
neighbours included depression, headaches and eye irritation. Initially, the
retailers refused to listen to us. After moving the lounge suite into our
garage – which was connected to the house - we had to tape up the cracks around
the doors to prevent the fumes from entering the rest of the house. The new
lounge suite ended up in a tent on our lawn for months until the retailers
agreed to give us our money back.
Flame
retardant TCPP – the evidence
Although the manufacturer of the lounge suite did not
want to tell us, we discovered that the flame retardant used in the foam of the
lounge suite was TCPP. We thought that the levels used exceeded recommended
safe levels, but it would have cost us $2,500 to have it tested, more than the
price of the lounge suite. When the international programme on chemical safety
reviewed assessments of TCPP
Mattresses: what you can do
Buy a cotton futon.
Lounge suites: what you can
do
Buy a second hand lounge suite or have your old lounge
suite rebuilt if necessary using nontoxic wood glues, no solvents, restuffed if
necessary using Dacron filling rather than foam, and re-upholstered using 100%
cotton fabric, no stain repellents or other chemicals. Instead of flame
retardants in your furniture, install a fire alarm.
See also the
factsheets on
* Fumes and Perfumes
* Added flavours – natural or artificial, what’s the
difference?
* Inhaled salicylates
www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
The information given is not intended as medical advice. Always consult
with your doctor for underlying illness. Before beginning dietary investigation,
consult a dietician with an interest in food intolerance.
update March 2005
