Which chemicals can be found in UK mattresses?
Here is some information about the different types of flame retardant chemicals and the affects they have.
Grouped as brominated fire retardants - http://greensciencepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Review-of-Env-Health-2542010-SHAW-BLUM-.pdf
Environmentally hazardous, Accepted as a Persistent Organic Pollutant. Harmful to health through skin contact and ingestion and harm to children in infancy. Found in breastmilk. Very toxic to aquatic organisms and long term adverse effects to environment. Neurotoxicity, thyroid hormone dysregulation, endocrine disruption, cognitive and behavioural difficulties.
PBDEs are in blood, breastmilk, and umbilical cord blood. Laboratory animals exposed to PBDEs show deficits in learning and memory. Children with higher prenatal exposure to PBDEs have been found in several studies to have lower IQ. Exposure has also been linked to hyperactivity, poor attention, and slower motor development. PBDEs affect thyroid hormone levels in laboratory animals.
* There are around 80 different types of brominated flame retardants which have widely varying chemical properties.
Cancer hazard, Reproductive hazard, can irritate the nose, mouth, throat and lungs causing cough, wheezing and/or shortness of breath. Can cause headaches, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, dry throat, and loss of sleep. Repeated exposure can affect the lungs. There is some evidence that Antimony Trioxide may damage the developing foetus and cause miscarriages. It may damage the male reproductive system and decrease the sperm count in animals.
Disruption to thyroid hormone activity and produces effects on neurotransmitter uptake. High acute aquatic toxicity and causes long-term adverse adverse effects in the aquatic environment. Persistent and bio-accumulative.
Crosses the plancenta, found in human breast milk and associated with decreased cognitive levels in children. Persistent, Bio-accumulative, very toxic to aquatic environment. In animals, effects liver by increase of enzyme production. Substance of Very High Concern and listed on REACH.
Mutagenic, chemical known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Endocrine disruptor TDCPP has been found to cause negative health impacts in animals, including increased cancer rates, DNA mutations, and reproductive effects. TDCPP has been listed as a known carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65, and a Consumer Product Safety Commission assessment concluded that it increases cancer risk. In humans, men with higher levels of household TDCPP had lower sperm counts and altered hormone levels.
Lower birth rate and length of children, impair neurological development. In animals studies shown to cause cancer. May possess liver toxicity, thyroid toxicity, and neurodevelopmental toxicity. Persistent in the environment POP. PCBs can have profound effects on intellectual development. Children with greater exposure to PCBs have lower birth weights, slowed growth, and poorer performance on tests of brain development.
PCBs cause tumors in laboratory animals. EPA lists PCBs as probable human carcinogens.
Studies suggest that PCBs are also toxic to the immune system, reproductive organs, and thyroid.
Very toxic to aquatic life, is suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child, is harmful if swallowed, is harmful in contact with skin, may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure and may cause an allergic skin reaction.
Hazardous to the environment - https://echa.europa.eu/substance-information/-/substanceinfo/100.014.136
POPs. Poor cognitive function in children, behavioural problems, less responsible behaviour and more aggression, defiance, hyperactivity, inattention, and bullying behaviours.
Considered a carcinogen. V6 is structurally similar to the cancer-causing flame retardant TCEP and contains it as an impurity: TCEP has been measured in the V6 product at a concentration of 14%. Laboratory research found V6 affected reproduction as well as organs including thyroid and liver.
TCPP is widely detected in household dust and indoor air as a result of consumer and home uses, and the compound and its breakdown product have been found in breast milk and urine. It has been found in wastewater treatment plant effluent, surface water, and drinking water, and was the flame retardant found at the highest concentrations in Arctic air. Laboratory tests indicate TCPP may impact nervous system development as well as thyroid hormone levels; its similarity to the cancer-causing TCEP and TDCPP also raises concern.
California State lists TCEP as a carcinogen, and animal studies have also found that it causes reproductive effects and neurotoxicity. The European Union has designated the chemical as a substance of very high concern because of evidence it could impair fertility.
TPP has been detected in breast milk and its metabolites have been found in urine, with a U.S. study finding higher exposure among toddlers than their mothers.
TPP has been linked to a number of toxic effects:
Obesity: Laboratory animals exposed to Firemaster 550 had excessive weight gain, and cell-based studies implicate TPP specifically in stimulating development of fat cells and impeding bone formation.
Hormone disruption: Human and laboratory evidence suggest TPP can disrupt hormonal systems, with cell-based and animal studies finding effects on sex hormone levels. In men, greater exposure to TPP has been associated with altered levels of hormones and lower sperm concentrations.
Thyroid: Laboratory and cell-based studies have found TPP affects thyroid hormone synthesis, which can have impacts on development.
Aquatic toxicity: EPA has ranked TPP as having very high acute and chronic aquatic toxicity based on toxicity to fish.
Endocrine disruptor, may cause obesity, metabolic disruption and increase onset of puberty.
Firemaster 550 caused obesity and early puberty in laboratory studies, and EHTBB in particular has been shown to affect sex hormone production in cell-based tests. The US Environmental Protection Agency has designated EHTBB as high hazard for bioaccumulation.
Exposure to these compounds has been linked to a number of health concerns:
Cancer: PFCs induce several types of tumors in laboratory animals, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has designated PFOA as a possible carcinogen based on epidemiological evidence linking exposure to kidney and testicular cancer [5-7].
Hormone disruption: laboratory animals exposed to certain PFCs show abnormal levels of hormones, including thyroid hormones and testosterone [8]. Children exposed to greater levels show reduction in hormone levels and delayed puberty [9].
Liver toxicity: PFCs are associated with liver enlargement in laboratory animals [5].
Harm to the immune system : recent research has identified the immune system as sensitive to PFCs in both laboratory and epidemiological studies. A 2012 study of 587 children found those with greater exposure to PFCs had significantly poorer responses to vaccines [10].
Reduced birth weight: a number of large epidemiological studies have related higher maternal exposure to PFCs to lower birth weight [11]. These are consistent with laboratory findings of developmental toxicity.
Aside from ALS risk or other nervous system consequences, formaldehyde is a respiratory irritant that causes chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, and nose and throat irritation, according to the ATSDR. It can also cause cancer, and has been linked to an increased risk of asthma and allergies in kids.