Hazardous flame retardants ubiquitous in preschools

Teacher Sonia Castro high-fives student Alfred Chen during a lesson at the Montessori School at Five Canyons in Castro Valley. The school was not included in the UC Berkeley study and has taken steps to make the environment as safe as possible for kids. less Teacher Sonia Castro high-fives student Alfred Chen during a lesson at the Montessori School at Five Canyons in Castro Valley. The school was not included in the UC Berkeley study and has taken steps to make ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Hazardous flame retardants ubiquitous in preschools 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Flame retardants are ubiquitous at preschools and day care centers, potentially exposing children to chemicals that are hazardous to their health, UC Berkeley researchers wrote in a study published Thursday.

The researchers collected air and floor dust samples from 40 child care centers serving more than 1,760 children in Monterey and Alameda counties and then tested the samples for potentially dangerous flame retardant chemicals.

The chemicals, which have been linked to hormone disruption and lowered IQs in children, were found in 100 percent of the dust samples collected. They included polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, as well as tris phosphate compounds, a non-PBDE flame retardant.

The study's authors acknowledged the results were fairly typical of what's found in most people's homes and other environments because the chemicals have been so widely used for decades in the polyurethane foam inside upholstered furniture.

"Child care environments are not unlike homes and other places where kids spend time, but there has been very little research done on these environments," said Asa Bradman, the associate director of UC Berkeley's Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health and study author. He said the chemicals "are everywhere."

The flame retardant chemicals were added to foam in upholstered furniture in the early 1970s to meet a state flammability standard that would allow the products to be sold in California. Gov. Jerry Brown last year ordered the rules changed so that the flammability standards can be met without the use of the chemicals.

Persistent PBDEs

PBDEs, meanwhile, have been banned in California for almost a decade but persist in older furniture and other products. After the ban, many manufacturers replaced PBDEs with chlorinated tris, although the chemical had been removed from children's pajamas in 1977 after it was found to mutate the DNA of people exposed to it. California now lists it as a carcinogen.

The UC Berkeley study, which appeared online in the journal Chemosphere, found levels of PBDEs in the child care homes and centers the researchers studied to be somewhat lower than those found in residences in previous studies. But the amounts of chlorinated tris were similar or higher than household levels found in other reports.

Bradman said the higher tris levels were likely linked to the mats children nap on as well as furniture. Of the centers surveyed, 29 had upholstered furniture and 17 had napping equipment made of foam.

A mix of areas

The researchers selected Alameda and Monterey counties to conduct the study because the counties offered a mix of urban, rural and agricultural areas. None of the centers was identified in the study.

Ellen Dektar, senior management analyst with Alameda County's Early Care and Education Planning Council, said a small but growing number of child care facilities are becoming more selective in the products they use and are encouraging "green" and "eco-healthy" certification and standards.

"Child care professionals are really idealistic and would do anything for the children they're taking care of," she said.

At Montessori School at Five Canyons in Castro Valley, director Meher Van Groenou said she has been promoting healthful and environmentally friendly practices since she founded the school in 2002.

Looking for options

That means using natural fiber panels on the walls instead of paint, cleaning without using harsh chemicals and covering the children's mats with cotton sheets to reduce potential exposure to the foam.

"We really would like to completely give up those foam things but haven't found the best product yet," Van Groenou said. The Montessori school was not included in the study, she said.

Despite the study's results, Bradman said parents shouldn't be overly alarmed. The state's policy changes will help reduce exposure levels, he said. Meanwhile, he said, parents can opt for safer products in their homes and keep dust levels low.

"People shouldn't panic and feel like child care is toxic for children," he said.