Anti-flame chemicals in furniture said health risk

Foam in upholstery such as couches, love seats and chairs may contain dangerous chemicals that can lead to obesity, even liver damage and Type 2 diabetes. (Courtesy image)

DURHAM, N.H. - Being a couch potato could be making you fat in more ways than one, according to researchers at the University of New Hampshire.

A report released earlier this month suggests that synthetic flame-retardant chemicals in some couches, carpet padding and electronics like TVs and computers contain chemicals that can lead to obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

"It started back in the '70s in California," explained lead researcher Gale Carey, a professor of nutrition. "Technical Bulletin 117 called for putting these flame-retardant chemicals in material to prevent fires."

But Carey and fellow researchers have found that the unintended consequences may have outstripped any benefit, with a new group of substances that have been found to cause metabolic and liver problems that can lead to insulin resistance, a major cause of obesity and diabetes.

"Being obese or overweight increases one's risk of many diseases including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and certain cancers," Carey said.

Carey and her team of researchers found that laboratory rats exposed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, experienced a disruption in their metabolism that resulted in the development of metabolic obesity and enlarged livers.

In Carey's research, fat cells isolated from rats dosed with high levels of flame retardants daily for one month developed a sensitivity to hormones that was similar to the sensitivity experienced by people who are overweight: the fat cells became more sensitive to epinephrine and less sensitive to insulin.

The specific environmental chemicals that produce the effect of weakening the insulin response are referred to as "obesogens, " because they research shows they lead to obesity and often to Type 2 diabetes.

Carey said on Tuesday that more recent research shows an even stronger, more direct link to diabetes.

So how do these chemicals get in our body?

First, in reference to couches, the culprit's the foam padding where the flame-retardant chemicals are found. Carey said over time fabric tears, the foam breaks down and little tiny pieces go airborne in your home. They may settle on a desk or coffee table. Then you touch the table with your hand and later pick up an apple. When you take a bite out of the apple, the chemical are in your body to stay.

But even more at risk are toddlers and infants who might find a particle on the floor and eat it.

Then consider this. In a previous study, Carey and a graduate student examined the amount of flame retardant chemicals in breast milk. They found that the levels of these chemicals in breast milk are about two orders of magnitude greater than in European countries that do not allow the use of flame retardant chemicals.

Many environmental experts are getting on board with heightened awareness, but industry is slower to follow. However, there is a new bulletin out called 117-2013 that basically undoes Bulletin 117, Carey said.

Carey estimates the average person has 300 man-made chemical in their body.

The irony is that most of these synthetic flame-retarded chemicals don't really even prevent fires, said Carey, who added that firefighter cancer rates have been shown higher due to their exposure to these chemicals while fighting fires.

The chemicals to look out for can be in couches, carpet padding, drapes and most types of electronics. She said to check with your retailer to see if a product you're thinking of buying complies with Bulletin 117-2013, which is free of synthetic flame-retardant chemicals.

A good place to get more information is greensciencepolicy.org. Click here to check it out.