Bringing The World Home To You

© 2024 WUNC North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
91.5 Chapel Hill 88.9 Manteo 90.9 Rocky Mount 91.1 Welcome 91.9 Fayetteville 90.5 Buxton 94.1 Lumberton 99.9 Southern Pines 89.9 Chadbourn
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Study Finds Toxic Flame Retardant In Many Sofas

Your favorite couch or sofa could be dangerous for your health. More than half of all couches tested in a Duke University-led study were found to contain potentially toxic flame retardants. One of the main offenders: a chemical called "Chorlinated Tris". It's a probable carcinogen that was used in children's pajamas back in the 70's. It was phased out due to its health risks. Lead researcher Heather Stapleton is associate professor of environmental chemistry at Duke's Nicholas School:

Heather Stapleton: "I just hope our study is informative and makes people aware that these chemicals are out there.   We know some of these flame retardants do migrate out of these products  and accumulate in indoor dust and indoor air, so the general population is chronically exposed to these chemicals every day. It's particularly worrisome for children, because they receive higher exposure to chemicals found in dust - yet we know very little about potential health effects."

Stapleton says in many cases the manufacturer doesn't even know what chemicals have been used. Chemical companies are not required by law to make that information public or to put out warnings about known health risks. Stapleton says it's also not clear according to studies whether these so-called flame retardants actually provide any safety benefit

Fed up with the frigid winters of her native state, Catherine was lured to North Carolina in 2006. She grew up in Wisconsin where she spent much of her time making music and telling stories. Prior to joining WUNC, Catherine hosted All Things Considered and classical music at Wisconsin Public Radio. She got her start hosting late-nights and producing current events talk shows for the station's Ideas Network. She later became a fill-in talk show host and recorded books for WPR's popular daily program, Chapter A Day.
Related Stories
More Stories