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Reader’s Question:

October 8, 2021

 

I have a seven month old and a trying to find information if items made from or with polyurethane are safe. My initial concern came after purchasing a piece of small furniture for the nursery where the odor was unbearable. The product was made from polyurethane foam and covered in polyester. I researched and found different results indicating it was or was not safe to expose your child to these products because of the smell and the toxic chemicals the products are made with. Is this true? If I can’t smell the chemical, is it still dangerous? Also, are there different types of polyurethane? I would like as much information on the subject as possible please, as I have found many products do have polyurethane in them.

Thank you

Jaime

 

Response:

Dear Jaime

Thanks so much for your question. It is important for parents to be vigilant regarding their children’s health. Usually, if you can smell one or more chemicals coming from any consumer product, this indicates that the product is releasing a small amount of chemicals that are volatile, that is they are easy emitted to air. Usually, a stronger smell is associated with a higher level of these chemicals in air. At some level, you or your child might experience irritation or minor health effects, such as coughing. However, sometimes the levels are high enough that more severe health effects occur, such as trouble breathing, headaches or dizziness. If you think that you have experienced severe health effects, please have everyone leave the room immediately and contact your local poison control center at (1-800-222-1222). 

If the smell is bothersome, but not causing any health effects, then placing the product in a well-ventilated room or garage for several days to a week is your best course of action. After some time, these volatile chemicals should go away. The remaining chemicals, such as polyurethane, should be chemically stable and not a health risk. If the smell persists after a week or so, please contact the retailer or manufacturer and ask for a refund. The release of chemicals from such products after this length of time is not generally normal. 

All chemicals are toxic at some level, yes even water! All chemicals have safe levels (or virtually safe levels) to which we all can be exposed. Thus, all products contain chemicals that are toxic, but unless the product is releasing chemicals over a safe level, you should not need to worry. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has a website that can be searched to give information on chemical releases from different products. A list of safe chemical levels can be found here. If you want information on chemicals not found in this list, please feel free to contact me again.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Dourson

WEEL OEL

Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) are designed to safeguard the health of healthy workers during their careers. These limits are based on the assumption of repeated daily exposure throughout a working lifetime, typically averaged over an 8-hour workday. Their purpose is to prevent both immediate (acute) and long-term (chronic) health issues arising from workplace exposures. It’s important to note that OELs are not intended for the general public, which includes vulnerable groups like infants, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Workplace Environmental Exposure Levels (WEELs) are health-based guidelines for chemical hazards in the workplace. These values represent air concentrations believed to protect the majority of workers from negative health effects resulting from occupational chemical exposure.

The WEEL Process
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The development of new or revision of existing WEELs is typically assigned to voluntarily designated subcommittees. A subcommittee usually comprises 3 – 4 members from the WEEL Committee. New WEELs are developed using the OARS-WEEL administrative standard operating procedure (SOP), while existing WEELs are usually revised every 10 years, unless the availability of significant new data which may impact the existing WEEL value compels the committee to make a revision sooner. The OARS-WEEL SOP contains procedures and guidelines governing conflicts of interest, draft document preparation, literature searches, draft document review, balloting process, post-ballot WEEL documentation quality assurance scientific review, and publication.

Once a subcommittee has prepared a draft WEEL document, a review of the draft is scheduled for the next available Committee meeting. The WEEL Committee members are expected to have reviewed all such drafts prior to the meeting. If no major changes are necessary to a draft, the attending Committee membership may, by a simple majority, approve the WEEL for balloting. Alternatively, the Committee may direct the subcommittee to revise the WEEL and present it for further discussion at a future meeting. If a ballot is not approved by a two-thirds majority of non-abstaining Committee members, it is discussed at the next Committee meeting to determine the appropriate course of action. Once the WEEL is approved by a two-thirds majority of non-abstaining Committee members, copies of ballot comments are forwarded to the designated subcommittee and all substantive comments must be addressed in the final draft. If resolution of a substantive comment results in a change to the WEEL value or a change in the basis for the value, the draft must be re-balloted.

Once all comments have been addressed on a successfully balloted draft, document formatting and editorial review are performed by TERA, before the draft WEEL document is made available for public comment (usually for a period of 30 days but may be extended if the need arises). After the public comment period has elapsed, comments are addressed by the subcommittee responsible for that specific draft, after which the WEEL documentation is submitted to Toxicology and Industrial Health (TIH), a peer-reviewed medical journal that covers research in the fields of occupational health and toxicology, for publication. A thorough review of the galley proof by the scientific content quality coordinator at TERA, and proofreaders and editors at TIH is the penultimate step before eventual publication of the WEEL documentation.

The WEEL Committee

The OARS-WEEL Committee is composed of volunteer experts specializing in the scientific determination of occupational exposure levels. This committee actively seeks a balanced representation of professionals from toxicology and industrial hygiene, drawing upon a diverse range of experience from industry, government, academia, and consulting. Importantly, each member contributes to the Committee based on their individual expertise and not as an official representative of their respective employer, organization, or agency.