National Academy of Sciences

National Academy of Engineering

Institute of Medicine

National Research Council

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M.Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A.Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I.Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A.Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

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Strengthening Science at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Research Management and Peer Review Practice (2000)

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment (2000)

Modeling Mobile-Source Emissions (2000)

Copper in Drinking Water (2000)

Ecological Indicators for the Nation (2000)

Waste Incineration and Public Health (1999)

Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment (1999)

Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter: I. Immediate Priorities and a Long-Range Research Portfolio (1998); II. Evaluating Research Progress and Updating the Portfolio (1999)

Ozone-Forming Potential of Reformulated Gasoline (1999)

Risk-Based Waste Classification in California (1999)

Arsenic in Drinking Water (1999)

Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area (1998)

The National Research Council’s Committee on Toxicology: The First 50 Years (1997)

Toxicologic Assessment of the Army’s Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests (1997)

Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet (1996)

Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest (1996)

Science and the Endangered Species Act (1995)

Wetlands: Characteristics and Boundaries (1995)

Biologic Markers (5 reports, 1989–1995)

Review of EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (3 reports, 1994–1995)

Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment (1994)

Ranking Hazardous Waste Sites for Remedial Action (1994)

Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children (1993)

Issues in Risk Assessment (1993)

Setting Priorities for Land Conservation (1993)

Protecting Visibility in National Parks and Wilderness Areas (1993)

Dolphins and the Tuna Industry (1992)

Hazardous Materials on the Public Lands (1992)

Science and the National Parks (1992)

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards (1991)

Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program, Volumes I-IV (1991–1993)

Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants (1991)

Monitoring Human Tissues for Toxic Substances (1991)

Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution (1991)

Decline of the Sea Turtles (1990)

Copies of these reports may be ordered from the National Academy Press

(800) 624–6242

(202) 334–3313

www.nap.edu

Review of the U.S. Navy’s Exposure Standard for Manufactured Vitreous Fibers (2000)

Submarine Exposure Guidance Levels for Selected Hydrofluorocarbons: HFC-236fa, HFC-23, and HFC-404a (2000)

Health Risk Assessment of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals (2000)

Review of the U.S. Army’s Health Risk Assessments for Oral Exposure to Six Chemical-Warfare Agents (1999)

Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants, Volume 1 (1997), Volume 2 (1999), Volume 3 (1999)

Assessment of Exposure-Response Functions for Rocket-Emission Toxicants (1998)

Review of a Screening Level Risk Assessment for the Naval Air Facility at Atsugi, Japan (Letter Report) (1998)

Toxicity of Alternatives to Chlorofluorocarbons: HFC-134a and HCFC-123 (1996)

Permissible Exposure Levels for Selected Military Fuel Vapors (1996)

Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 1 (1994), Volume 2 (1996), Volume 3 (1996), Volume 4 (2000)

THE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering a possible flammability standard for upholstered furniture to reduce the incidence of death, injury, and properly loss from fires started by small open flames of matches, cigarette lighters, and other sources of ignition of upholstered furniture in U.S. residences. The most likely method of achieving this standard is to treat furniture upholstery with flame-retardant (FR) chemicals. However, concern has been expressed that potential health risks have been inadequately studied for many of the FR chemicals likely to be used. Some of them have been shown to cause a range of toxicity, including cancer, neurological, reproductive, and developmental effects.

In its fiscal 1999 appropriations report, Congress directed CPSC to arrange for an independent study by the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct toxicological assessments for FR chemicals that are likely to be used as FRs for furniture upholstery. The NRC assigned the project to the Committee on Toxicology, which, in turn, established the Subcommittee on Flame-Retardant Chemicals.

This report evaluates toxicological, epidemiological, and exposure data on the 16 specified FR chemicals, and characterizes risks to human health from exposure to furniture upholstery treated with such chemicals. It is hoped that the findings of the report will be useful to CPSC and Congress in making decisions regarding the safe use of FR chemicals in upholstered furniture fabric.

The subcommittee was assisted by many people, including those who presented valuable information and documents during the subcommittee’s public sessions at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, on July 30–31 and October 26–27, 1999, and in Irvine, CA, on September 22–24, 1990:

Elizabeth Anderson (Sciences International, Inc.)

Michael Babich (Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Roger Berkley (American Textile Manufacturers Institute’s Upholstery Fabric Committee)

Patricia Bittner (Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Joseph Carra (EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics)

Marcia Hardy (Albemarle Corporation)

Judith MacGregor (Toxicology Consultant Services)

Ronald Medford, (Consumer Product Safety Commission)

George Miller (National Association of State Fire Marshalls)

Vincent Piccirillo (NPC, Inc.)

Cecilia Powell (Albright & Wilson)

Richard Rose (Great Lakes Chemical Corporation)

The Honorable Roger Wicker (U.S. Representative from Mississippi)

Joseph Ziolkowski (Upholstered Action Furniture Council)

This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures for reviewing NRC reports approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals, who are neither officials nor employees of the NRC, for their participation in the review of this report: Deepak Bhalla, Wayne State University; Jack Dean, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Inc.; John Doull, University of Kansas; Paul Foster, Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology; Bruce Fowler, University of Maryland; Robert Goyer, University of Western Ontario; Rogene Henderson, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute; Loren Koller, Oregon State University; Daniel Krewski, University of Ottawa; Thomas McKone, University of California, Berkeley; Günter Oberdörster, University of Rochester; and Vincent Piccirillo, NPC Incorporated.

The individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions. It must be emphasized, however, that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the NRC.

The subcommittee gratefully acknowledges the assistance of its consultants, including the staff of Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment—Michael Dourson, Kenneth Poirier, Lynne Haber; Syracuse Research Corporation staff—Gary Diamond, Margaret Fransen, Patricia McGinnis, Marc Odin, and Randi Starmer; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory staff—Po-Yung Lu, Sylvia Milanez, Annetta Watson, and Robert Young, for drafting most of the initial

health risk assessments, which were reviewed and modified by the subcommittee.

Appreciation is also extended to Edmund Crouch for his assistance with exposure assessments; Judith Fauls for her editorial assistance; and Charles Auer of EPA for providing information on FRs; and Marcia Hardy, Judith MacGregor, and Patricia Adair for providing the subcommittee with numerous current references. Appreciation is also extended to Alan Mann, University of Surrey, U.K.; Stewart Miller and Patricia Martin, Albright & Wilson; William Walt, DaimlerChrysler Corporation; Carl D’Ruiz and James Plautz, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation; Robert J.Fensterheim, Chlorinated Paraffins Industry Association; and Philip Strong, U.S. Borax Incorporated for providing data on FR chemicals.

The subcommittee also thanks the staff of the sponsor of this study, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, for their assistance and cooperation, including Ronald Medford, assistant executive director for hazard identification and reduction; Marry Ann Danello, associate executive director for health sciences; Lori Saltzman, director, Division of Health Sciences; Patricia Bittner, technical contract officer, Jacqueline Ferrante, Kristina Hatlelid, and Michael Babich, Division of Health Sciences; Dale Ray, Directorate for Economic Analysis (manager, Upholstered Furniture Project); Peter Nerret, contract officer, and Robert Frost, Division of Procurement Services.

The subcommittee was ably assisted by the staff of the Subcommittee on Flame-Retardant Chemicals—especially Kulbir S.Bakshi, project director; Eileen Abt and Darryl Arfsten, research associates; Michelle Catlin, post-doctoral research associate; and Judy Estep, Pamela Friedman, Stephanie Parker, and Evelyn Simeon, administrative staff. These staff members merit special recognition for their thoughtful contributions and extraordinary efforts in producing the report, and for the many extra hours they worked to complete the report. The subcommittee is also thankful to the following NRC officials for their contributions to the project—Warren R.Muir (Executive Director, Commission on Life Sciences), James J.Reisa (Director, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology [BEST]), David Policansky (Associate Director, [BEST]), and Carol Maczka (Director, Toxicology and Risk Assessment Program [BEST]).

Finally, we would like to express our thanks and admiration to the members of the subcommittee for their dedicated efforts throughout the development of this report.

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Toxicological Risks of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals

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