The Hunt for Technical Bulletin 117

Nick Ho '17
APES E Block
01/15/16
Data Collected from Carr House and Proctor Assembly Hall


Today we were tasked with finding household items that are in line with Technical Bulletin 117. This standard requires upholstered furniture to have a certain degree of flame retardation. One way that this is measured is the duration before a piece of furniture fully catches fire, which is twelve seconds minimum if a material is in accordance with TB117. What this means is that materials in desks, chairs, sofas, and other pieces of furniture are doused with flame retardants, such as PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl), which can often have negative long term consequences on humans beings. These consequences include cancer, mental disability and reduced IQ.

After searching for tags classifying certain objects as in accordance with TB117, I found that most articles of furniture had either no tags or had no specific evidence to support the use of any flame retardants. However, prior knowledge and inference allow me to assume that many of the items found in my dorm and on campus are in line with Technical Bulletin 117 and, in fact, have been treated with flame retardants.

My findings are as follows. In my data collection, I marked the boxes red for my actual findings, and marked any assumptions that I felt I could make in blue.

Product	Flame Retardant (yes TB117)	No Flame Retardant Used (no TB 117)	No Evidence	Location
Wooden Desk				Dorm Room*
Plastic Water Bottle				Dorm Room*
Desk Lamp				Dorm Room*
Computer				Dorm Room*
Desk Chair				Dorm Room*
Wooden Bedframe				Dorm Room*
Bedsheets				Dorm Room*
Pillowcase				Dorm Room*
Blanket				Dorm Room*
Foam Mattress				Dorm Room*
Spring Mattress				Dorm Room*
Wooden Cabinet				Dorm Room*
Clothes Hangers				Dorm Room*
T-Shirt				Dorm Room*
Dress Shirt				Dorm Room*
Mattress Chair				Dorm Room*
Sofa Couch				Dorm Room*
Mouse Pad				Dorm Room*
Ski Jacket				Dorm Room*
Wallet				Dorm Room*
Pillow				Dorm Room*
Floor Carpeting				Entire Dorm*
Couch				Common Room*
Coffee Table				Common Room*
Microwave				Common Room*
Pool Table				Common Room*
TV Set				Common Room*
Refrigerator				Common Room*
Assembly Hall Chairs (411)				Assembly Hall
Cushioned Folding Chairs (29)				Assembly Hall
Padded Folding Chairs (10)				Assembly Hall

*product found in Carr House

Padded Folding Chair in Assembly Hall
"  X   contains NO added flame retardant chemicals"

Cushioned Folding Chair in Assembly Hall
"THIS ARTICLE MEETS FLAMMABILITY
REQUIREMENTS OF CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF
HOME FURNISHINGS TECHNICAL BULLETIN 117."

Tag on Pillow in Dorm Room
"...the materials in this article are described
in accordance with law"

Pillow & Pillowcase
in Dorm Room

Desk
in Dorm Room

Concluding Questions:

Where (what kind of room) did you find the most flame retardant products?

My findings suggested that the most flame retardant products can be found in the common room, or kitchen. This is because there are so many electronics (microwaves, refrigerators, etc) that can generate heat, and are thus susceptible to fire. That being said, the dorm room also had a high number of flame retardant products, such as lamps, computers, sheets, mattresses, etc. 

What was the most abundant product found to be doused in flame retardants?

The most abundant product found to be dosed in flame retardants was furniture, be it chairs, sofas, couches, or beds. These all have been doused with flame retardants.

Examining your charts, which product do you think gets the most use from people?

I think in today's day and age, the products that get the most use from people are electronics, such as phones, computers, iPads, TVs, etc. This is because so much time is spend on these prodcuts.

Knowing that exposure rate, route of exposure and age of exposure are keys to determining toxic impact, which product generates the highest health risk? Which product has the lowest health risk? Explain why.

I think one of the products that generates the highest toxic impact is furniture. The exposure rate is chronic, or constant over a longer period of time, and thus causes long term health effects. The route of exposure is most always inhalation. When people sit down on a chair and particles are launched up, the airborne pieces of dust are easily inhaled by people, and when they settle, are in high traffic areas like back on the sofa and on the ground. This risk is elevated even further because everyone uses chairs, young and old, and are all susceptible to the dangers of PBDEs. However, it seems impossible to avoid all of these products as they are etched into the daily life of everyone. The products with the lowest risks are those without any flame retardants used, such as wallets and jackets. 

After watching TOXIC HOT SEAT, what would you suggest are some appropriate means to address the concerns of PBDE exposure?

TB117-2013 is a key step to addressing PBDE exposure. However, other solutions were outlined in the film as well, namely stopping the problem at its roots. In this instance, it means passing legislature to require cigarette companies to manufacture self-extinguishing cigarettes. However, another issue seems to be that chemical companies are promoting the usage of flame retardants like PBDEs. Educating the public about the dangers, through advertisements and seminars is another realistic way to tackle this issue.

What concerns and questions do you still have about PBDE and TB117?

I'm curious about my own upbringing, and if it was even a concern of my own parents to raise their children in a relatively PBDE free environment. I wonder if they took into account the fact that many baby pajamas are doused in flame retardants. I'm also curious about the legislative history of flame retardants, and how general public opinion of this problem has been shaped and molded over the years.