Life

Household Dust May Be Scarier Than You Thought

We have more evidence that concentrations of the chemical bromine are higher indoors and that it is present in dust.

Photo by Kunj Parekh on Unsplash

I recently struck up a conversation with a spider today while dusting at home. He seems nice. He’s a web designer.

Okay, I will keep my day job. Today, I want to share with you a bit about household dust; more specifically, we’ll look at a new study that illustrates how chemicals such as flame retardants land in unexpected places.

Brominated flame retardants: The good and the bad

Since the 1970s, chemicals known as brominated flame retardants have been added to numerous household products. Electronics, mattresses, upholstery, carpets, textiles, plastics, wire insulation, automobiles, and more. Why? They can improve fire safety. The bad? One form— polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs — is harmful to human hormonal systems.

PBDEs have been restricted in Canada since 2008 and phased out in 2004 in the United States. Still, there remain concerns that certain forms of the chemical are persistent and bioaccumulative. PBDEs may cause neurobehavioral effects, in addition to ecotoxicity in birds, mammals, fish, and invertebrates.