[Image above] Fiberglass is commonly used as a flame retardant in mattresses and upholstered furniture, but the U.S. state of California just passed legislation to ban its use in the future. Credit: congerdesign, Pixabay
From radium dials to asbestos insulation, there are numerous examples of materials that once filled the built environment until people realized they caused adverse health effects. Once that knowledge became public, regulations were often implemented to minimize or eliminate use of the hazardous material.
While sometimes this push toward alternative materials resulted in the adoption of safer options, at other times, manufacturers adopted solutions that later turned out to have harmful effects as well. For example, the replacement of PFOA and PFOS—the chemicals traditionally used to make nonstick pans—with a new generation of “forever” PFAS chemicals.
The U.S. state of California is currently reckoning with its own replacement-gone-wrong situation. When the state enacted sweeping restrictions on toxic chemical flame retardants in 2018, many companies switched to using fiberglass as a flame retardant in mattresses and upholstered furniture. However, fiberglass comes with its own share of adverse health effects when it escapes into the environment.
Today’s CTT briefly overviews the history of flame retardants in the United States, the health effects of fiberglass exposure, and the legislative steps that California is taking to regulate future use of fiberglass as a flame retardant.
A brief history of flammability standards in the US
The early 20th century saw the birth of mass production, transforming the fabrication and distribution of all kinds of goods, from automobiles to processed foods to ready-made clothes.
These mass production technologies also made their way into the cigarette industry, which quickly leveraged the country’s developing consumer culture and newfound marketing techniques to promote cigarette smoking on an unprecedented national scale.
Cigarette smoking reached its peak in the 1960s, and with this rise came an increase in the number of smoking-related residential building fires. The growing number of fires—in addition to the enhanced flammability and smoke toxicity of plastic construction materials and décor—led the U.S. government to start investigating the flammability of different products and materials.
The government established several flammability standards for furniture, building insulation, and electronics in the 1960s and 1970s. The video below highlights several key standards related to furniture and fabrics, plus describes the two main types of tests used to determine flammability (i.e., cigarette smoldering and open flame).
To comply with these standards, manufacturers started to add high levels of flame-retardant chemicals, primarily organohalogens, to their products. But while these chemicals do reduce the flammability of products, a growing body of research indicates that these chemicals can also trigger adverse health effects, for example, hormone and immune disorders, when they leach out and result in human exposure.
In response, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the regulation of this class of substances while calling for the use of less flammable materials, design changes, and safer chemicals.
The potential health effects of fiberglass exposure
As the health effects of chemical flame retardants became more well known, the use of fiberglass as a flame-retardant material in mattresses and upholstered furniture grew in popularity.
However, just as with the chemical flame retardants, fiberglass carries its own set of adverse health effects when it escapes into the environment. For example, airborne fiberglass strands can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems when inhaled.
Additionally, once the fiberglass strands have escaped, they will embed themselves into carpets, clothing, bedding, and other porous surfaces—becoming extremely difficult and expensive to remove.
Fiberglass use in California: Public concern leads to new regulations
In 2018, the U.S. state of California enacted sweeping restrictions on toxic chemical flame retardants, leading many companies to switch to fiberglass.
However, public complaints about fiberglass exposure from mattresses led researchers with the California Department of Public Health to publish an open-access paper in February 2022. That paper aimed to fill gaps in information about the physical/chemical nature of glass fibers in new mattress covers.
The researchers concluded that the potential for harmful exposure existed, noting “the apparent non-inclusion of mattress covers in chemical-free certifications suggests that further improvements are needed in mattress labeling and education of consumers.”
In February 2023, California Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) introduced Assembly Bill 1059, which would ban the sale of mattresses and upholstered furniture that contain fiberglass in the state.
The bill, which was sponsored by U.S. activist organization Environmental Working Group, would also prohibit upholsterers from using fiberglass in repaired or reupholstered mattresses and furniture.
In May 2023, the California State Assembly passed the bill, and in September 2023, the California State Legislature followed suit. California governor Gavin Newsom then signed the bill into law on October 8.
“By passing this bill, the state has taken significant steps toward enhancing California residents’ safety in the very place where we want to feel most protected—our homes,” Friedman says in an Environmental Working Group press release. “I’m proud of this bill and the work California policymakers did together to make it a reality.”
The new restrictions on fiberglass in upholstered furniture will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. As companies prepare to meet this requirement, the Environmental Working Group notes that some safer replacements for flame-retardant materials include wool, rayon, and polylactic acid batting.