Flame retardants

Flame retardants are chemicals that manufacturers add to certain products to meet flammability standards. Some flame retardants pose health risks and impacts on the environment. Regulations are reducing the use of the most toxic flame retardants in many products.

We work with the Washington State Department of Health, along with industry and environmental organizations, to identify and phase out flame retardants in Washington and identify safer, feasible, and available alternatives. The first example of this work is our assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

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Flame retardants, human health, and the environment

Keeping your home and family healthy: Reduce your exposure to flame retardants. Click to go to publication 21-04-026. — Reduce your exposure to flame retardants

Not all flame retardants are the same. Some are known to be concerning for our health. The potential health effects from exposure to some flame retardants include:

Cancer.
Endocrine and reproductive effects.
Neurological and developmental disorders.

Studies show that flame retardants can enter the environment from products that contain them. These chemicals can then accumulate in sediments, people, wildlife, and homes. Flame retardants have been found in:

Human bodies: Breast milk, blood, fat.
Homes: Household dust, indoor air.
Food: Beef, dairy products.
Environment: Fish, wildlife, birds, and sediments.

Products that may contain flame retardants

Manufacturers add flame retardants to foam, plastics, textiles, and other products to meet flammability standards. They are intended to slow the spread of fires and allow time for people to escape. With recent changes in flammability standards, some flame retardants are not necessary in many products. There have also been innovations in design and green chemistry that help products meet flammability standards without the use of toxic flame retardants.

Flame retardants may be found in these types of products

Typical consumer products that can contain flame retardant chemicals, such as tents, older upholstered furniture, and foam. — Products like car seats, recreational foam, electronics, tents, and insulation can contain flame retardants.

Regulations are reducing the use of the most toxic flame retardants in many of these products.

What is Ecology doing to reduce flame retardants?

There are numerous ways we are working to reduce flame retardants in Washington:

Safer Products for Washington considers flame retardants a priority chemical and is working to pass regulations to reduce these chemicals and others in consumer products. We’ve continued this work in our Safer Products for Washington Program, which recently identified safer alternatives to classes of flame retardants used in electric and electronic enclosures and recreational polyurethane products.
Children’s Safe Products Act (CSPA) restricts manufacturers of children’s products AND residential upholstered furniture from using five specific organohalogen flame retardants and identifies 16 flame retardants as reportable chemicals of high concern to children.
Consumer product testing at Ecology allows our scientists to test products to uncover any hidden toxics that are above levels allowed by our laws.
Chemical action plan for PBDEs focuses on Deca-BDE flame retardants and recommends prohibiting their use in specific products, which the Legislature passed in 2008. Our 2015 report to the Legislature added further recommendations.

Learn more about all of the laws in Washington that restrict toxic chemicals in products

Timeline of actions to address flame retardants

2023

Safer Products for Washington adopts a rule to regulate organohalogen flame retardants in electric and electronic products and flame retardants (as defined in RCW 70A.350.010) in recreational polyurethane foam. See Safer Products for Washington Cycle 1: Adopted Rule Highlights for a summary.

2020

Safer Products for Washington lists recreational polyurethane foam and electronic enclosures as priority consumer products containing flame retardants for further research and potential regulation in their Priority Consumer Products Report to the Legislature.

2019

Washington passes the Pollution Prevention for Healthy People and Puget Sound Act, listing flame retardants as priority chemicals under the first cycle of Safer Products for Washington.

2018

Our study of flame retardants in children’s tents, play tunnels, and upholstered chairs finds that manufacturers moved away from using flame retardants in children’s upholstered furniture, but still used them in play tents and tunnels.

2017

We determine the six flame retardants the Legislature tasked us and Department of Health to review should be added to the Chemicals of High Concern to Children.

2016

Washington Legislature:

Amends the Children’s Safe Products Act to ban five flame retardants from use in children’s products and residential furniture.
Directs us and Department of Health to further evaluate six flame retardants, and prepare a report with recommendations as well as stakeholder input.

2015

We release a Report to the Legislature, which added further recommendations for prohibiting flame retardants in specific products.

2014

Our study finds that, while manufacturers moved away from using flame retardants in general consumer and children's products sold in Washington, alternative flame retardants were used.

2011

RCW 70A.405.020: Manufacture, sale, or distribution of noncomestible products containing PBDEs—Exemptions ban goes into effect.

2008

Legislature passes regulations to support the chemical action plan for PBDEs.

2006

The chemical action plan for PBDEs is published. The CAP focuses on Deca-BDE flame retardants and recommends prohibiting their use in specific products.

2004

Manufacturers voluntarily agree to stop producing two kinds of PBDEs (Penta-BDE and Octa-BDE) by the end of 2004. Washington was the first state to ban a third kind of PBDE (Deca-BDE). Manufacturers of Deca-BDE agreed to stop producing, importing, and selling it by 2012 in the U.S.

We and the Department of Health performed an alternatives assessment to identify a safer and technically feasible alternatives that met fire safety standards.

Contact information

Chemical Action Plans Team
ChemActionPlans@ecy.wa.gov