I mentioned above that most PU foams are commonly treated with flame retardants due to the fact that polyurethane is more flammable than other more natural materials. First of all, it's important to note that these flame retardant chemicals don't even work. For decades, consumers were sold a bill of fire safety and because of that, flame retardants were actually required by law in certain products like furniture and children's pajamas. But it was all just lying and marketing. Because of this, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has revised its flammability standards for furniture so that they now focus on inherently flame resistant materials (such as wool) instead of chemical flame retardants. Chemical flame retardant additives are no longer required by law in the U.S. Second, most of these flame retardants are extremely toxic. There are a lot of different kinds of synthetic flame retardants, which are associated with things like cancer, thyroid disease, hormone disruption, fertility problems, decreased IQ, other developmental problems, altered neurodevelopment, and more. Toxic Free Future has a great resource if you want to dive deeper into each type. Although we're certainly not in the clear, there is some good progress that's been made in this area. As mentioned above, chemical flame retardants are no longer required by law in the States. Not only that, but a California law that went into effect in 2020 actually bans ALL flame retardants in kids' products, mattresses, and upholstered furniture at levels above 1,000 parts per million. Other states have implemented similar restrictions, but California's is the only one that banned all types. Because of the fact that most brands sell to California residents, this law provides a certain level of safety to everyone else in the U.S. as well. You can also read more about flame retardants in furniture in our guide to non-toxic sofas.