Non-Toxic Couches: Furniture Swatches Tested for PFAS Indicators

June 25, 2024 // by Leah Segedie

This is Mamavation’s non-toxic couch guide released with swatch testing. Does your favorite non-toxic furniture brand contain indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” on the fabric of their couches, sofas, armchairs, & ottomans? Mamavation just released our non-toxic couch investigation to answer these questions for you. We spent years emailing furniture brands and were not able to track down any PFAS testing results from brands that we felt were reliable, so we decided to do that testing ourselves. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you consumer studies like safest cookware sans PFAS, the safest olive oils tested for toxic phthalates, and best water filters that can handle PFAS “forever chemicals,” now join us for our latest consumer study on furniture sofa swatches tested for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Disclosure: This consumer study is released in partnership with Environmental Health News. This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Note that Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that we have not tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. Links at the bottom of this post are affiliate and Mamavation will get a small percentage of your sale and we will use that money to pay ourselves back for the testing we did for you. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you for supporting Mamavation! Copyright © 2024 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” after analyzing popular furniture swatches from sofas, couches, armchairs, & ottomans on the market today. PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have been used for many decades as stain-resistant, oil-resistant, grease-resistant, & water-resistant chemicals in commerce. From our vantage point, it looks as if some brands in the furniture industry are using PFAS for the waterproof & stainproof qualities within their fabrics.

PFAS are found in many other areas of our homes with some examples being cookware, makeup, drinking water, contact lenses & dental floss. These chemicals are linked to serious health effects, which we will discuss later. Because PFAS are so toxic, Mamavation has commissioned scientific studies on indications of PFAS in products to make recommendations for furniture, specifically sofas, using PFAS-free materials. Read Mamavation’s articles (see below) on these products to find which brands are organic-fluorine-free.

For this consumer study, Mamavation sent 42 furniture swatches from 19 brands to an EPA-certified laboratory looking for indications of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.” Most of the brands tested were making non-toxic, PFAS-free claims OR flame-retardant-free claims. In other words, most of the brands we selected were already being purchased by “wellness” consumers based on their “free from” claims and were considered “non-toxic couches.” We also added some larger brands to the mix that do not make PFAS or fire-retardant-free claims. In totality, here’s what our laboratory found:

We also wanted to make one caveat that is important to understand when evaluating these labs. Because most of the products tested were fabric swatches and not the actual furniture fabric covers themselves, there may be some additional contamination risks and variables we could not control. In other words, we do not know if fabric swatches are treated differently than the fabric that is going on your furniture. We do not know if the fabric swatches would be exposed to the same elements and thus have the same amount of organic fluorine, an indicator of PFAS “forever chemicals,” as the fabric that would go on your sofa. There could be extra contamination the swatches are exposed to when sending in the mail to us, such as print & packaging. You’ll have to use your common sense when evaluating these results to be able to make purchasing decisions. Feel free to also call brands to ask how swatches are handled vs. furniture fabrics. But from our vantage point, anything above 100 ppm organic fluorine, would be more in the realm of “intentionally added PFAS” used as performance fabrics for anti-stain treatment than something below 100 ppm.

PFAS “forever chemicals” are problematic for human health and the environment. They are considered ubiquitous, persistent, and toxic. Many of these PFAS chemicals can last for years or decades in our bodies. The health effects of exposure to PFAS on furniture haven’t been studied, but being exposed to furniture is a daily exposure if your furniture contains PFAS treatments. However, we know that your skin can be vulnerable to toxic chemicals like PFAS “forever chemicals”. Therefore, it’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food, water, and consumer products like furniture. Mamavation is dedicated to helping you do that when shopping for non-toxic couches free from PFAS.

Here are some of the health effects associated with different PFAS “forever chemicals:”

It’s also very clear based on biomonitoring evidence from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that PFAS are in all Americans. Therefore, these exposures can harm most Americans.

PFAS chemicals have been used for decades to create stain resistance, water resistance, and grease-proof qualities in products to which they are added. If you’ve heard of coatings such as “Teflon” on cookware, fabrics made from “Gore-Tex” or treatments on carpets like STAINMASTER®, you’ve already heard about PFAS chemicals. Here’s more of what you may not have been aware of:

Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the food and consumer products you may bring into your home. Each one of these studies was performed similarly to this study with brands sent independently to the lab and the raw data of those labs presented at the bottom of the post.

Non-toxic couches are not supposed to contain PFAS, however, most couches sold in the United States are not considered “non-toxic.” Upholstery designers have a wide range of “performance fabrics” in gorgeous colors, textures & patterns that resist stains and water. These fabrics have become essential because of their ability to stand up to hard use, while also repelling stains, dirt, cleaning chemicals, other liquids, and pathogens. Most performance fabrics contain PFAS.

In prior years, they were a selling point for brands being a “sustainable” option because it lowered the need to replace the furniture, stood up to hard use of pets & children, and decreased the need to use toxic industrial chemicals to clean. However, once it was known that PFAS “forever chemicals” were as toxic & persistent as they are, those arguments started changing to convenience selling points only. And thus, non-toxic couches became known as something entirely different such as being free from PFAS and flame retardants.

The original performance fabrics called “C8” were replaced by another type of PFAS called “C6.” Neither was great for the environment or human health and both are on their way out because it’s pretty clear PFAS will never break down in the environment. But as of now, the textile industry sees the writing on the wall and are starting to seek alternatives. However, it may be some time until PFAS is removed from all furniture.

Here are some of the treatments you’ll find on fabrics referred to as Durable Water Repellants (DWR) that would be considered PFAS:

One recent study linked the use of PFAS “forever chemicals” in carpets to higher rates of PFAS in dust found in childcare facilities. Fortunately, the carpet industry has moved away from PFAS with major retailers (like Home Depot & Lowes) ousting the chemicals. Mamavation even found that other types of mainstream brands like Mohawk have also stopped using it. But now what will the furniture industry do that sells sofas, couches, armchairs, and ottomans? Unless legislation starts to target furniture sellers directly, it’ll be some time till the entire industry changes. However, the amount of brands selling non-toxic couches has increased dramatically reflecting a change in consumer demand.

There’s more to non-toxic couches than just PFAS. Flame retardants are also linked to numerous health problems. A handful of flame retardant chemicals including polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and chlorinated flame retardants (CFR) have been linked to dangerous health effects like endocrine disruption, decreased fertility, immune suppression, altered sexual development, cancer, delayed brain development, lower IQ, and behavioral problems in humans.

The dangers of flame retardants are so obvious that in November 2010, 145 scientists issued a joint statement documenting the health hazards of brominated and chlorinated flame retardant chemicals. Most fire retardants are bioaccumulative, which means they build up in our bodies and the environment, and that makes them difficult to detox out of the body. Any chemical that bioaccumulates should be avoided around children. And while it is hard, studies show that improving cleanliness can reduce exposure to flame retardants.

One thing to note is phosphorus-based fire retardants are not as bioaccumulative, and thus eliminated by the body quicker. However, Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) is one example of a widespread phosphorus-based fire retardant that is eliminated from the body quicker but it’s also bioaccumulating inside breast tissue and exhibits hormonal and developmental toxicity.

Historically, the flame retardants used in furniture included mutagens, hormone disruptors, and developmental toxins. But over the past decade, companies have abandoned them and have substituted to phosphorus-based fire retardants and brominated fire retardants. These include chemicals like triphenyl phosphate, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to metabolic syndrome. Independent scientists are very concerned about these replacements saying that not enough studies have been done to prove their safety and expose infants to. And the studies that have come out are already concerning.

The State of California rescinded laws mandating the use of flame retardants in sofas and other types of furniture because of the toxicity of these chemicals to consumers and firemen. They were also not as useful in preventing fires as the industry originally claimed. Additional states have also passed similar laws. Therefore, finding flame-retardant-free furniture has become easier. But if you decide to avoid flame retardants in your furniture, it’s important to understand that simply swapping out regular furniture with flame retardants with furniture with no flame retardants automatically decreases the amount of flame retardants found in your household dust. And thus, purchasing flame-retardant-free furniture is safer for your family.

To answer your questions about non-toxic couches free from PFAS, furniture swatches were purchased, ordered online for free, or donated from community members between November 2023 and April 2024. Some brands had one sample, while other brands had up to three different samples. The furniture swatches arrived mostly inside regular envelopes or business-sized envelopes with very little precaution taken to avoid contamination. Most were just placed inside the envelope and mailed to us. When we received the samples, each product was recorded in our database, taken out of its envelope, and placed into a ziploc bag. Ziploc bags are free from fluorine contamination. Before we took them out of the envelope we washed our hands in between every sample to ensure potential contamination from one product wasn’t getting into another. Our EPA-certified laboratory received and tested each swatch.

Testing: Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory uses marker testing to identify the potential presence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in bandages. Organic fluorine is a marker for PFAS because all PFAS chemicals are carbon-based compounds that contain fluorine. The specific lab method used to test for total fluorine was the Determination of Total Fluorine by Oxygen Flask Combustion and Ion-Selective Electrode. If total fluorine was observed at a detection level of 10 ppm or greater, the lab did the Determination of free Fluoride Ion in the product by Ion-Selective Electrode and then subtracted that from the Total Fluorine to determine the amount of organic fluorine. This marker testing is likely to show the presence of PFAS. Organic fluorine can also capture other fluoropolymers, pharmaceuticals, and common hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, such as 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (commonly known as R-134a) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (commonly known as HFO-1234yf), which are all also PFAS. None of which you want around your food, personal care products, or furniture.

We sent fabric swatches from the following nineteen brands off to an EPA-certified laboratory. Each one of these brands was recommended by someone in our audience, however, not all brands that were recommended were tested based on our limited budget for testing. Some brands had up to three swatches tested, while others had just one swatch tested.

Most of the brands tested had a variation of organic fluorine results which put them into different categories. In other words, some brands may have had non-detect results right next to lower levels of organic fluorine found by our laboratory in a different swatch. Therefore, you’ll need to pay close attention to which fabric swatch we tested.

This category represents furniture swatches tested by our EPA-certified laboratory and found to have over 10o ppm organic fluorine, which is an indicator of PFAS “forever chemicals.” The range in this category is from 105 ppm to 1,550 ppm organic fluorine. These levels are more likely to represent intentional levels of PFAS indicators. However, because these are furniture swatches and not the furniture itself, swatches could be exposed to contaminants that the furniture itself is not exposed to. Therefore, you’ll have to make up your own mind as to whether this is representative or not. We’ve done the best we can to bring you a list. * means there were inconsistent results, meaning some fabric swatches had detections while others did not so please pay attention to the specific fabric. Copyright © 2024 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved

This category represents furniture swatches tested by our EPA-certified laboratory and found to have less than 100 ppm organic fluorine. The range in this category is between 11 ppm to 85 ppm. Because these were swatches, the argument could be made that swatches are exposed to different contaminants than what furniture is exposed to. We understand that, but because we could not afford to purchase this furniture, we did the next best thing and ordered swatches to have tested. In other words, these levels could be from accidental contamination and we are unsure the furniture would be exposed to that same contamination. You’ll have to make up your own mind about this category. * means there were inconsistent results, meaning some fabric swatches had detections while others did not so please pay attention to the specific fabric. Copyright © 2024 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved

These furniture swatches were sent to an EPA-certified laboratory and returned with non-detect results for organic fluorine. The detection level was 10 ppm, therefore organic fluorine under that amount would not be detected. We’ve also looked into each one to inquire about the use of chemical flame retardants. * means there were inconsistent results, meaning some fabric swatches had detections while others did not so please pay attention to the specific fabric. These would be considered non-toxic couches without indications of PFAS. Copyright © 2024 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved