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It turns out that some commonly found chemicals in household products are actually hazardous to our brain health. A recent study found that these chemicals have a harmful effect on brain cells called oligodendrocytes. The harmful chemicals are quaternary compounds (found in some disinfectant products and personal care products) and some flame retardants found in household items such as furniture and electronics.

Oligodendrocytes are cells in the central nervous system that form the myelin sheath (a layer that covers and protects nerve cells) in the brain and spinal cord. Damage to the myelin sheath underlies some neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

The researchers felt that exposure to these chemicals that damage oligodendrocytes may be a risk factor for neurological diseases. In other words, you don't want to damage these cells. Pregnant women (developing baby) and children (developing brains!) are especially vulnerable.

Bottom line: Avoid disinfecting or cleaning supplies that say they contain "quaternary compounds" and try not to buy products containing flame retardants. Check labels!

From Science Daily: Common household chemicals pose new threat to brain health, study finds

A team of researchers from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has provided fresh insight into the dangers some common household chemicals pose to brain health. They suggest that chemicals found in a wide range of items, from furniture to hair products, may be linked to neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis and autism spectrum disorders. ...continue reading "Some Common Household Chemicals Have A Harmful Effect On the Brain"

Starting this month, it will finally be possible to buy upholstered furniture without added toxic flame retardants. From the December 31, 2013 Scientific American:

Cancer-Linked Flame Retardants Eased Out of Furniture in 2014

From the January 4, 2014 Huffington Post:

Flame-Retardant Furniture May Leave A Toxic Legacy

California's new Technical Bulletin 117 removes a decades-old requirement that flame retardants be included in the filling of upholstered furniture. The state rule, which became the de facto standard for the rest of the nation, meant use of the chemicals flourished for years nationwide, despite mounting evidence implicating them in neurological and reproductive disorders, and cancers. For all their ills, the chemicals may not actually slow fires.

"Right now, most people have harmful flame retardants in their homes and in their bodies," said Blum, a University of California, Berkeley, chemist. "And the chemicals don't serve a benefit.

As for finding new flame retardant-free furniture, Blum recommended looking for the new "TB 117-2013" tag and asking retailers whether a specific item contains flame retardants. It may be best to wait a few more months to allow new products to arrive in stores and old stock to be sold out, she noted.