I ordered some beanbag chairs for my sons' room and they arrived yesterday. They REEK - the foam pellets used to stuff them are apparently off-gassing, something I hadn't thought about before ordering them.
The inserts contain Cal 117 foam - which means polyurethane foam that meets the requirements of California Technical Bulletin 117. All that tells me is that it's flame and cigarette resistant. It doesn't tell me what the gas is that's coming off the foam.
I don't want to assume that it's safe, but I also don't want to jump to the conclusion that it's not safe just because it's smelly. Does anybody have any data on this type of foam? I'm having a google-idiot day, apparently, and can't hit on the right search terms to find what I want. If it's harmful, I want to send the beanbags back. But if the only problem is that it will smell for a little while (they'll eventually smell fine, like any other new product), I'm ok with keeping them.
Reading more about polyurethane (why didn't I think of this before?
has me concerned about what fire retardant chemicals might have been used in the manufacture of the foam. It looks like penta-BDEs were the major concern but are being or have been phased out? I'm emailing the company to see if they know what chemicals were used on the foam (if they know). Until I hear from them, any pointers would be much appreciated. TIA!
The inserts contain Cal 117 foam - which means polyurethane foam that meets the requirements of California Technical Bulletin 117. All that tells me is that it's flame and cigarette resistant. It doesn't tell me what the gas is that's coming off the foam.
I don't want to assume that it's safe, but I also don't want to jump to the conclusion that it's not safe just because it's smelly. Does anybody have any data on this type of foam? I'm having a google-idiot day, apparently, and can't hit on the right search terms to find what I want. If it's harmful, I want to send the beanbags back. But if the only problem is that it will smell for a little while (they'll eventually smell fine, like any other new product), I'm ok with keeping them.
Reading more about polyurethane (why didn't I think of this before?
has me concerned about what fire retardant chemicals might have been used in the manufacture of the foam. It looks like penta-BDEs were the major concern but are being or have been phased out? I'm emailing the company to see if they know what chemicals were used on the foam (if they know). Until I hear from them, any pointers would be much appreciated. TIA!
