Chemical exposures from upholstered furniture with various flame retardant technologies

Davis, Aika; Ryan, P. Barry; Cohen, Jeremiah Y.; Harris, Debra; Black, Marilyn

doi:10.1111/ina.12805

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 18 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…When the chemical constituents of Firemaster 550 were not transferred to the saline-soaked filters, Chemtura scientists claimed that human exposures also would not occur when using the foam. However, this is a scientifically inappropriate point-of-contact study because it is not representative of how exposures would occur in humans and does not replicate how the product is typically used; foams release chemicals into the air and dust as they are compressed through use and people are exposed to their flame retardant constituents via hand-to-mouth activity, dust ingestion, other dermal contact, and inhalation exposures [ 81 ]. This is also an example of a study conducted by the manufacturer of a product, where the results support the manufacturer’s position; these kinds of studies with inherent conflicts of interest are unfortunately common in environmental health sciences, including studies involving exposure assessments [ 82 – 84 ].…”

Section: Flawed Exposure Assessments Put Public Health At Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing systemic problems with exposure assessments to protect the public’s health

et al. 2023

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Background Understanding, characterizing, and quantifying human exposures to environmental chemicals is critical to protect public health. Exposure assessments are key to determining risks to the general population and for specific subpopulations given that exposures differ between groups. Exposure data are also important for understanding where interventions, including public policies, should be targeted and the extent to which interventions have been successful. In this review, we aim to show how inadequacies in exposure assessments conducted by polluting industries or regulatory agencies have led to downplaying or disregarding exposure concerns raised by communities; that underestimates of exposure can lead regulatory agencies to conclude that unacceptable risks are, instead, acceptable, allowing pollutants to go unregulated; and that researchers, risk assessors, and policy makers need to better understand the issues that have affected exposure assessments and how appropriate use of exposure data can contribute to health-protective decisions. Methods We describe current approaches used by regulatory agencies to estimate human exposures to environmental chemicals, including approaches to address limitations in exposure data. We then illustrate how some exposure assessments have been used to reach flawed conclusions about environmental chemicals and make recommendations for improvements. Results Exposure data are important for communities, public health advocates, scientists, policy makers, and other groups to understand the extent of environmental exposures in diverse populations. We identify four areas where exposure assessments need to be improved due to systemic sources of error or uncertainty in exposure assessments and illustrate these areas with examples. These include: (1) an inability of regulatory agencies to keep pace with the increasing number of chemicals registered for use or assess their exposures, as well as complications added by use of ‘confidential business information’ which reduce available exposure data; (2) the failure to keep assessments up-to-date; (3) how inadequate assumptions about human behaviors and co-exposures contribute to underestimates of exposure; and (4) that insufficient models of toxicokinetics similarly affect exposure estimates. Conclusion We identified key issues that impact capacity to conduct scientifically robust exposure assessments. These issues must be addressed with scientific or policy approaches to improve estimates of exposure and protect public health.

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Section: Flawed Exposure Assessments Put Public Health At Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%