Question from Stacey Santoro
Hi Debra,
I saw a stool in Pottery Barn that I really liked; however, the seat is made of a padded leather seat. I called the main contact number, and of course they did not have detailed information other than that the seat is made of leather with a foam padded seat. Can I assume that any padding such as this is toxic and contains flame retardants? Thanks so much!
Debra’s Answer
The standard foam in padded furniture is polyurethane foam. With the new California flammability laws going into effect now in 2015, it’s unlikely that new furniture contains fire retardants, but it’s always good to check.
I’ve just been going through this, looking for a padded office chair. All polyurethane foam.
Debra, please keep us posted about what you find regarding a safe office chair, and any other safe padded furniture!
Hi Debra,
So I am a little confused. Does this mean that all new furniture will be safe to purchase? I assume we still want a natural material covering the furniture, but does this mean I can buy safe furniture from a place like Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn? Do we still want to avoid any item with polyurethane foam? Are some manufacturers replacing polyurethane foam with something less toxic?
Thanks!
Stacey, it IS confusing. It does NOT mean new furniture is safe to purchase. It only means that it probably doesn’t have fire retardants. It may still have materials that are toxic in other ways.