The recycling industry and building product manufacturers are making efforts to create a closed-loop system, utilizing recycled materials as much as possible. Unfortunately, when feedstocks are contaminated with chemicals of concern, they can decrease in value, limit the growth of recycling rates, and possibly endanger human and ecosystem health. A new report by Healthy Building Network and Stop Waste, “Optimizing Recycling: Criteria for Comparing and Improving Recycled Feedstocks in Building Products,” describes best practices for monitoring and improving the purity of recycled feedstocks in building materials to address these limitations.

One example of a contaminated product is flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) to which flame retardants are added in order to meet flammability standards. The flame retardants that are typically added to FPF are persistent in the environment, bioaccumulative, and toxic, meaning that there is no safe threshold for use. Manufacturers have long used pre-consumer scraps of FPF, contaminated with flame retardants, in bonded carpet cushion. In the home setting, the flame retardant chemicals in the carpet cushion become airborne and adhere to dust, and household residents, especially crawling children, can be exposed to high doses.

Post-consumer scraps of used carpet cushion that may get incorporated into other products results in a cycle of contamination. Researchers found that while the majority of post-consumer FPF collected for recycling contains high levels of flame retardants, industry minimally tests for such substances.

Health Care Without Harm Safer Chemicals Campaign, Practice Greenhealth, and Healthier Hospitals provide support and resources for healthcare facilities interested in obtaining flame-retardant free furnishings for their facilities.

[Source: Healthy Building Network News]