Exposure to TDCPP Appears Widespread

A 150 News | Forum flame retardants exposure to tdCPP appears Widespread At a time of growing debate over the safety and usefulness of flame retardants added to consumer products, 1 new evidence is emerging about the breadth of human exposure to one of the most widely used of these compounds. Two new studies 2,3 document the presence of the flame retardant tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) in dust from homes, offices, and automobiles. They also report some of the first data on urine levels of a metabolite of this flame retardant. In recent years, animal studies have suggested that TDCPP is neurotoxic, an endocrine disruptor, and a reproductive toxi-cant. 7 and the chemical is on California's Proposition 65 list of substances known to cause cancer. 8 However, its potential car-cinogencity has not been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or the National Toxi cology Program. TDCPP has long been a major flame retardant used for the polyurethane foam padding in furniture and automobiles, according to Joel Tenney, director of advo-cacy for flame retardant manufacturer ICL Industrial Products. A recent study found it in many U.S. couches, 9 and it was also the flame retardant found most frequently in foam padding in a survey of 101 products in tended for use by infants and young children. 10 Consumer products are not labeled to reveal which flame retardants they contain. Scientists analyzing polyurethane foam from products intended for use in homes and offices have documented TDCPP at relatively high levels of up to 5% by weight. 11 Like other flame retardants used with polyurethane foam, TDCPP is not chemically bonded to the foam, which allows it to escape into indoor environments and accumulate in house dust. The fact that dust can be a source of exposure to flame retardants was first revealed by investigations into why compounds associated with polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants were bioaccumulating in people's bodies. The main PBDE formulation used with polyurethane foam, PentaBDE, was banned in Europe and voluntarily discontinued in the United States after 2004. The two new studies complement one another to provide a wider picture of current exposure to TDCPP, says Courtney Carignan, the Boston University doctoral student who is first author of one of the studies, published in Environment International. 2 Her team's research documented the presence of TDCPP's main metabolite, bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCPP), in …