Presentation: NeoCon 2018 - Chemical Insights · Changes in FR Use: Sofas and Loveseats pre/post...

Presentation:

NeoCon 2018

Chicago, Illinois

June 11-13, 2018

Human Health in the Built EnvironmentA Study on Chemical Exposure Risk and Flammability of

Upholstered Furniture and other Consumer Products

Why look at Flame Retardants?

• Traditionally used to reduce fire hazards

• Health Impacts• Endocrine disrupters,

carcinogenic

• Persistent in the environment• In common household

products• Bioaccumulation,

biomagnification

• Phased out, but not gone• 1977 – brominated tris

(replaced with chlorinated tris)

• 2004 – penta and octa-BDEs

Changes in FR Use:

Sofas and Loveseats pre/post 2005

• PentaBDE in very few samples purchased >2005• Use of alternate flame retardants increase >2005• TCIPP not observed <2005

Cooper et al. 2016

44% 41%

0% 4% 5%2%

44%

13%17%

28%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

PentaBDE TDCIPP TCIPP TBPP FM550

< 2005

>= 2005%

of

Prod

ucts

Co

nta

inin

g a

n F

R

Results Through October 2017(Detection indicates FR is >1.0% by weight)

http://foam.pratt.duke.edu

http://foam.pratt.duke.edu/

Exposure PathwayExposure pathway – The route a substance takes from its source to its end point, and how people can come into contact it. Five parts:

1. Source of contamination

2. Environmental media and transport

3. Point of exposure

4. Route of exposure

5. Receptor population

Source: CDC ATSDR https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/glossary.html#G-D-Day, G. et al. (2007). Exposure Pathway Assessment at a Copper-Beryllium Alloy Facility. The Annals of occupational hygiene. 51. 67-80. 10.1093/annhyg/mel041.

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/glossary.html#G-D-

Common Human Exposure

Dermal contact

Inhalation

Ingestion

Health Effects of Chemicals Like FR’s are Concerning for Children

Neurodevelopmental Effects

Endocrine System Disruption

Reproductive Toxicant

Decreased memory and learning

Reduced IQ

Hyperactivity

Obesity

Chemicals that mimic estrogen

Alters thyroid hormone

Decreased fertility

Decreased birth weight

Decreased sperm quality

Respiratory Function

Research Plan

How do we achieve product safety convergence, balancing chemical exposure risks and fire safety for human health and environment?

Research Plan

• Recruitment of a furniture manufacturer partner

• Furniture and textile selection

• Acquire documentation:

• Specifications

• MSDS

• Life-cycle

• Sustainability statements

• Fabrication methods

• Materials list with surface area dimensions, mass/volume, and weight by parts and as a whole chair

• Fabrication of 20 chairs to specification

• Procurement of electronic devices

Chair Construction & Composition

Seat cushions

• Approx 1.8 lb/ft3; 70% PUF, 30% Soy-based

Back & throw pillows

• 100% recycled fiber made from plastic

bottles; cushion casing – down proof

ticking

Seat deck & trim pad

• 80% regenerated fiber, 20% binder fiber

Arm padding

• 70/30 foam with 80% regenerated fiber

Frame

• Engineered laminate panels & soy-based

resins; springs – 80% recycled metal

Dimensions

• Overall: W28” D38” H37”

• Inside: W20” D22” H19”

• Seat height: 19”

• Arm height: 24”

• Back Rail height: 31”

Textile

• Cotton fiber 100%, no FR

• Abrasion rating (Wyzenbeek) 9,0000 Double Rubs (medium)

Expected Life: 20+ yrs

• Components (cushion and fills) replaced after 10 yrs

• Legacy Furniture

Finish – Very low VOCs

Chair Construction & Composition - Barrier

• Commercially available

• Content: 100% Fiberglass

• Fiber: • Warp Yarn – ECE 225-1/0 1.0 Z Twist• Fill Yarn – ECE 225-1/0 1.0 Z Twist• Coating – Approximately 7% Organic Coating

• Finished weight: 3.4 oz/sq yd.

• Count – Warp: 60 per inch

• Count – Fill: 58 per inch

• Weave: Plainweave

• Breaking Strength – Warp: 115 lbf/in

• Breaking Strength – Fill: 105lbf/in

• Shrinkage: Fabric is dimensionally stable up to at least 700⁰F

Chair Construction & Composition• All chairs constructed to specification

• 20 chairs divided into 4 test sample groups: changes in cushion composition

1. Non-FR Foam – 70% PUF, 30% Soy-based – No FR detected

2. Non-FR Foam + Fire Barrier – No FR detected

3. Traditional FR Foam – TBPP Mixture

4. Reactive FR Foam – Proprietary – No indication of FRs

Content Analysis conducted by independent lab

Material Identification Analysis – Furniture Components

Material EDX Analysis Polymer Type (EGA)

Cover textile C,O Cotton

Ticking C,O Cotton + PET

Fiber C,O PET

Non-FR foam C,O PU

Standard FR foam* C,O PU

Reactive FR foam C,O PU

Poly loose filling C,O PET

Fiberglass barrier Na, Cl, Ti Glass fiber

Decking textile C,O Cotton + PET

*Standard FR foam: triphenyl phosphate and isomers of tertbutylphenyl diphenyl phosphates (confirmed by two separate labs)

Material Identification Analysis –Electronic Components

• TV and laptop casing: C, O, Mg, Si

• TV and laptop printed circuit board laminate: Br

• TV wire insulation: Cl

Research Plan - Chemicals• Test Sample (Chairs) Preparation

• New - conditioned

• Aged – mechanical aging process – 10 years (ANSI/BIFMA X5.4-2014 standard)

• Environmental Chamber Exposure Testing• VOC

• Environmental Chamber Lab and Fire Performance Lab Sampling

• Air

• SVOC-FR• Environmental Chamber Lab and Fire

Performance Lab Sampling –

• Air

• Dust

• Surface

Research Plan - Fire Performance

• Upholstered Chairs Cal TB 117-2013 Smolder test

• Cover textile

• Fire barrier

• Resilient filling material

• Decking material

• Fire Performance – Whole Chair Open Flame Test. ISO 9705 Test Room Lab and Calorimeter

• Heat release rate

• Mass loss

• Smoke

• Fire effluent gases

• Temperature

• VOC/SVOC

• Electronics (open flame only) – 55” Flat Screen HD TV, 15.6” Laptop Computer

Chair VOC Exposure Summary

• Complex mixture of low level VOCs for all

chairs

• All chairs are well below VOC requirements

for GREENGUARD/BIFMA/LEED

Certifications

• Similar primary VOCs emitting from all chairs

• Majority of VOCs include alcohols, ketones,

glycols, siloxanes, carboxylic acids, and

aldehydes

• New chair and aged chairs similar in

emissions with aged slightly lower (~10-15%)

Most Common VOCs Among

Test Chairs

µg/m3

Analyte No FR

(65)

Barrier

FR (75)

Reactive

FR (80)

Traditional

FR (125)

Hexanal 63 75 18 99

Butanol 34 42 - 13

Propanoic Acid 16 34 30 33

2-butoxyethanol 9 12 5 8

Formaldehyde 4 6 5 4

Comparison of VOC Emissions Across Products

400

170

127 120

60

50

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

TV Traditional FRChair

Barrier Chair No FR Chair Reactive FR Chair Laptop

TV

OC

µg

/m3

Residential Chair VOC Comparison

Formaldehyde – 2016 chairs vs study chair

42

35

60

6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Study Chair

pp

b

Flame Retardant Exposure from Chairs

• Only measurable FR was from chair with added

traditional FR

• Tris-isobutylated triphenyl phosphate FR mixture

• Measurable exposure amounts found in: airborne vapor,

airborne particles, settled dust and dermal transfers.

• Exposure levels are very low, but accumulation may develop

with dust.


Heat Release Rate

Chairs with fire barrier

Chairs without fire barrier


Summary: Heat Release Calorimeter

Chair

Construction

Sample

IDNew/Aged

Test

Duration

(min.)

Weight

Loss

(lb.)

Weight

Loss

(%)

Max.

Heat

Release

Rate

(kW)

Time to

Max.

Heat

Release

Rate

(min:sec)

Time to

Reach

200 kW

(min:sec)

[1]

Non-FR foam NFRNew 23 49.9 74.1% 1,196 12:07 8:10

Aged 15 34.7 50.7% 1,378 11:42 9:04

Non-FR foam +

Fire BarrierNFR+FB

New 50 5.2 7.5% 17 30:51 NA

New 50 8.4 12.1% 63 [2] 39:58 NA

Aged 50 4.1 6.0% 16 35:16 NA

Standard FR

foamFR

New 12 27.1 41.4% 1,200 11:16 7:46

Aged 14 35.2 52.9% 1,373 12:26 9:00

Reactive FR

foamGFR

New 15 39.7 59.4% 1,253 12:00 8:30

Aged 15 36.3 52.0% 1,251 12:36 8:20

Aged 15 38.9 55.7% 1,379 12:22 8:58

[1] Maximum HRR requirement for flammability of mattresses:

Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets - 16 CFR 1633

[2] Fire spread into the back cushion unlike other tests with fire barrier


Fire Hazard Summary

Chair

Constructio

n

Sample

ID

New/Age

d

Weight

Loss

(lb.)

%

Weight

Loss

Max. Heat

Release Rate

(kW)

Max.

Doorway

Temperature

(C)

Max.

CO

(PPM)

Max.

HCN

(PPM)

Max.

Smoke

Optical

Density

(1/m)

Non-FR

foamNFR

New 36 53.6% 1,416 530 5950 NA 0.98

Aged 39.7 58.3% 1,400 570 3390 25 0.93

Non-FR

foam + Fire

Barrier

NFR+FB

New 3.4 4.9% 8 59 266 T 0.01

Aged 5.8 8.3% 51 69 821 T 0.03

Standard FR

foamFR

New 40.2 60.5% 1,432 594 1613 43 1.00

Aged 38.5 58.2% 2,028 601 1137 47 1.10

Reactive FR

foamGFR

New 41.9 61.8% 1,335 538 2596 51 0.80

Aged 40 59.4% 1,406 574 1485 43 0.88


Test Photographs

NFRNFR+FB


Comparison of Upholstered Furniture Heat

Release Rate with Electronics in Homes

Chairs with fire barrier

Electronic

Items

Mattress

Chairs without fire barrier


Significant Findings

• The use of a fire barrier in chair construction showed reduction in

fire hazards in comparison to other chairs with and without FRs

• The chemistry of the foam did not have a significant influence on

fire hazards- except no HCN was measured with barrier chair

• Traditionally added FR produced low level human exposure

primarily through settled dust and transfer dust

• Furniture foam with reactive alternative FR indicated no

measurable exposure

• Furniture with carefully selected materials can be very low in

VOC airborne risks


Some Tips for Protecting Consumers

• Choose or specify products low in VOCs (i.e. GREENGUARD, A

1350)

• Choose or specify products with proven fire protection without

FR’s if feasible (i.e. barrier construction, alternative FR’s)

• Vacuum and clean settled dust frequently on surfaces of

furniture, flooring, electronics, and other interior surfaces with

HEPA vacuums or wet cloths.

• Clean children’s hands well, frequently and always before eating.

PARTNERING WITH

SUSTAINABLE,

RESOURCEFUL,

ECO-FRIENDLY, ENERGY

EFFICIENT, AND HEALTHIER

BUILDING AND DESIGN

PRACTICES

Leads to Healthier People

Presentation: NeoCon 2018 - Chemical Insights · Changes in FR Use: Sofas and Loveseats pre/post...

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