Webinar to Discuss Removal of Harmful Chemicals in Furniture

March 8, 2017  by Larry Thomas in Industry, Special Events   

The "What's It Made Of?” webinar will take place March 16 at 12 noon Eastern time.

Sponsors include the Sustainable Furnishings Council. The group is being joined by the American Sustainable Business Council, the Center for Environmental Health, the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons The New School, and CI General Contractors to stage the webinar.

The webinar is free and registration is at the Sustainable Furnishings Council

website:  https://sustainablefurnishings.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=312

As it launches, the initiative consists of a simple “Pledge to Ask,” and an online tool to support signatories to the pledge in seeking assurance that their suppliers are fully disclosing information on production inputs. The partners plan to expand their efforts with seminars and training sessions within the industry and with consumer outreach.

SFC Executive Director Susan Inglis said more than 300 people signed the pledge during her group’s 10^th anniversary celebration at the October High Point Market.

"SFC is very pleased to launch this initiative with august partners that bring a wealth of expertise to work that clearly supports a healthy future, inside and outside,” Inglis said. “The Pledge to Ask ‘What's it made of?’ starts the conversation between manufacturers and buyers about dangers currently present and the need to look for solutions.  As the initiative evolves, we will be using our strong educational platform to help industry better respond to consumer concern, as well as working to make it easier for consumers to find the products they want.”

According to Inglis, the chemicals of concern most common in furnishings products present well-known problems. These include:

1)      Volatile Organic Compounds, including formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen, are used in adhesives, finishes, paint, coatings, and many other products in order to dissolve other chemical constituents. Furniture containing composite wood is particularly prone to being VOC-laden. Many of these organic solvents release vapors that humans inhale and absorb. Some are associated with neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and carcinogenic effects during short-term high level exposure and over prolonged periods of low level exposure.

2)      Flame retardant chemicals as used in residential furniture have not increased fire safety. Instead the flame-retardant chemicals have been found to migrate out of furniture products and get into our air, dust and ultimately our bodies.  Flame retardant chemicals have been detected in most Americans, with the highest levels found in children.  Some flame-retardant chemicals have been associated with endocrine disruption and reproductive, neurologic, and immune impairment as well as cancer.

3)      Fluorinated stain treatments, common in upholstered furniture and carpeting, persist in the environment and have been detected in humans and other organisms all over the globe. In humans, some highly fluorinated chemicals have been associated with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disruption, elevated total cholesterol, and obesity.

4)      Polyvinyl chloride, known as PVC or simply as vinyl, is used in rigid and pliable forms. The rigid form is commonly used in outdoor furniture construction. The more pliable form, created with the addition of phthalates, is used in upholstery fabrics, imitation leather, inflatable products such as stow-away mattresses, etc. The production and combustion of PVC emits dioxins, a potent carcinogen which is linked to impairment of the immune system, the developing nervous system, the endocrine system and reproductive functions, and when it is made pliable with phthalates these dangers are increased.

5)      Antimicrobials may be added to mattresses, finishes, glues and upholstery fabric. These chemicals, such as triclosan and triclocarban, which have been banned recently from soaps and rubs, can be absorbed through the skin and are detected in most Americans. They also persist in the environment. They are a concern because they are associated with adverse endocrine, thyroid, and reproductive changes and their use can lead to resistant strains of bacteria.