Abstract
Flame Retardant Applications in Camping Tents and Potential Exposure
Many commercial product makers apply flame retardant chemicals to adhere to industry standards. Popular products such as furniture, baby products, and construction materials have received the majority of scientific research and public interest; however, manufacturers of camping tents and equipment must also apply flame retardant chemicals. Camping tents adhere to a voluntary US industrial flammability standard known as CPAI-84 requiring tent fabrics to pass a vertical flame test with a 12-second ignition time. There has been little research on flame retardant chemicals used in tent manufacturing to meet the CPAI-84 standard. The goal of the current study was to determine whether flame retardant chemicals are applied to camping tents and whether these chemicals are transferrable to the persons using the tents.
The investigators sampled 11 different camping tents for common flame retardant chemicals. Chemical transferability was assessed by taking samples of gauze wiped on the tent fabric and from the hands of the persons setting up the tent. It was found that all but one tent contained flame retardant chemicals to meet the CPAI-84 flammability standard, with the most common chemicals being decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP), and triphenyl phosphate (TPP). Additionally, these same chemicals were found on the hands of people setting up the tent and on gauze wipes from tent samples, suggesting the transfer of flame retardant chemicals to those handling the fabric. Prior studies have associated exposure to flame retardant chemicals with various health effects, including endocrine disorders, motor dysfunction, disruption in immune response, and even tumor formation; however, no study has evaluated camping tent fabrics. Although dermal absorption from tent fabric chemicals is likely low, possible ingestion from a hand-to-mouth mechanism could have a significant health impact.
This study shows that flame retardant chemicals are applied to camping tents to adhere to CPAI-84 standards and that there is also a dermal exposure to these chemicals among persons handling the products. While prior research has associated adverse health outcomes with exposure to flame retardant chemicals, this research has not been performed within the setting of camping tents. The investigators recognize the need to educate tent users to avoid excess flame retardant chemical exposure and the need for further research focusing on health outcomes from this exposure.
(Environ Sci Technol Lett. 2014;1:152–155). AS Keller, NP Raju, TF Webster, HM Stapleton.
Prepared by Matthew Stewart, MD, University of Utah Emergency Medicine Global Health Fellow, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.