Upholstered furniture is often manufactured with polyurethane foam (PUF) containing flame retardants (FRs) to prevent the risk of a fire and/or to meet flammability regulations, however, exposure to certain FRs and other chemicals have been linked to adverse health effects. This study developed a new methodology for evaluating volatile organic compound (VOC) and FR exposures to users of upholstered furniture by simulating use of a chair in a controlled exposure chamber and assessing the health significance of measured chemical exposure. Chairs with different fire-resistant technologies were evaluated for VOC and FR exposures via inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact exposure routes. Data show that VOC exposure levels are lower than threshold levels defined by the US and global indoor air criteria. Brominated FRs were not detected from the studied chairs. The organophosphate FRs added to PUF were released into the surrounding air (0.4 ng/m³) and as dust (16 ng/m²). Exposure modeling showed that adults are exposed to FRs released from upholstered furniture mostly by dermal contact and children are exposed via dermal and ingestion exposure. Children are most susceptible to FR exposure/dose (2 times higher average daily dose than adults) due to their frequent hand to mouth contact.

中文翻译：

---

使用各种阻燃技术的软垫家具的化学暴露

软垫家具通常由含有阻燃剂 (FR) 的聚氨酯泡沫 (PUF) 制成，以防止发生火灾和/或符合易燃性法规，但是，暴露于某些 FR 和其他化学品会对健康产生不利影响。本研究开发了一种新方法，通过模拟在受控暴露室中使用椅子并评估测量的化学品暴露的健康意义，评估软垫家具用户的挥发性有机化合物 (VOC) 和阻燃剂暴露情况。通过吸入、摄入和皮肤接触暴露途径，对采用不同防火技术的椅子进行了 VOC 和 FR 暴露评估。数据显示，VOC 暴露水平低于美国和全球室内空气标准定义的阈值水平。从研究的椅子中未检测到溴化阻燃剂。添加到 PUF 中的有机磷阻燃剂被释放到周围空气中（0.4 ng/m³ ) 和粉尘 (16 ng/m ² )。暴露模型表明，成年人主要通过皮肤接触暴露于软垫家具释放的阻燃剂，而儿童则通过皮肤和摄入暴露暴露于环境中。儿童最容易受到 FR 暴露/剂量（平均每日剂量是成人的 2 倍），因为他们经常手口接触。