Design for the Environment Program

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Design for the Environment Program 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20460 USA... 

CPSC staff performed a preliminary assessment of the potential health risks associated with the use of selected FR chemicals in upholstered furniture foam. FR-treated foam samples that could be used to meet the draft standard and were available to the CPSC staff for testing included melamine tris(l,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCP) a mixture containing triphenyl phosphate (TPP), phenol isopropylated phosphate (PIP), and octyl tetrabromobenzoate (OTB). Other flame-retardants that could be used in foam have been discussed by the U.S. EPA Design for the Environment Program. Based on limited exposure or toxicity data, the following preliminary conclusions were published in 2006 ... 

We are pleased to acknowledge the support of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Design for the Environment Program. 

Future developments may result in a move away from the traditional dry-cleaning solvents. In the USA, the EPA has established the Design for the Environment Program to help find alternatives to current dry-cleaning technologies. Among the alternatives currently under study are the use of special water or steam treatments with ultrasonics or microwave processing and the use of supercritical carbon dioxide. 

We thank Dr. Paul Anastas, Dr. Carol Bums, Dr. Steve Buelow, and Dr. Dale Spall for helpful discussions. Part of this work was supported by Department of Energy LDRD funding through Los Alamos National Laboratory and another part by the US EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Design for the Environment Program. 

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