Highlights: * Gymnasts can have elevated exposures to flame retardants from foam pits * Foam pits with and without flame retardants had similar heat release rates * We replaced a foam pit in a gym with flame retardant free foam * Gymnast flame retardant exposure declined 5 fold from this intervention Abstract: Gymnasts can have high exposures to flame retardants (FRs), which are used in gymnastics safety equipment such as the loose foam pit. We hypothesized that fire safety can be maintained in a gym without the use of FRs and that replacing a foam pit using FR-free foam would reduce gymnast exposure. We compiled fire statistics for gyms, conducted flammability testing of foam cubes and mock foam pits, facilitated a fire inspection for our partner gym, conducted an intervention of replacing the foam pit in the gym using FR-free foam, and quantified FRs in the foam pit and on hand-wipes collected from ten collegiate gymnasts before and after practice, pre- and post-intervention. We identified an average of one gym fire per year with most occurring at night. The FR-treated cubes required a flame size 4.5 inches larger, applied for 6 seconds longer to ignite and took 4 minutes longer to reach peak flame height compared to the non-FR-treated cubes but had similar heat release rates. Based on our data and the presence of other fire safety measures, the local fire and building departments approved replacement of the foam pit with FR-free foam. We observed a 5-fold decline in the median mass of pit-FRs that accumulated on hand-wipes during practice among gymnasts who used the foam pit (p=0.02), indicating that replacing a foam pit using FR-free foam can reduce gymnast exposure to FRs during practice.
Integrated Health Sciences Core of M-LEEaD (Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease)Intervention to reduce gymnast exposure to flame retardants: A case study
Environmental Research Seminar presented by Courtney Carignan, Assistant Professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Pharmacology & Toxicology; Michigan State University
November 6, 2018
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
3755 SPH I
1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
Sponsored by: Integrated Health Sciences Core of M-LEEaD (Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease)
Contact Information: Meredith McGehee (mcgehee@umich.edu | 647-0819)
Highlights: * Gymnasts can have elevated exposures to flame retardants from foam pits * Foam pits with and without flame retardants had similar heat release rates * We replaced a foam pit in a gym with flame retardant free foam * Gymnast flame retardant exposure declined 5 fold from this intervention Abstract: Gymnasts can have high exposures to flame retardants (FRs), which are used in gymnastics safety equipment such as the loose foam pit. We hypothesized that fire safety can be maintained in a gym without the use of FRs and that replacing a foam pit using FR-free foam would reduce gymnast exposure. We compiled fire statistics for gyms, conducted flammability testing of foam cubes and mock foam pits, facilitated a fire inspection for our partner gym, conducted an intervention of replacing the foam pit in the gym using FR-free foam, and quantified FRs in the foam pit and on hand-wipes collected from ten collegiate gymnasts before and after practice, pre- and post-intervention. We identified an average of one gym fire per year with most occurring at night. The FR-treated cubes required a flame size 4.5 inches larger, applied for 6 seconds longer to ignite and took 4 minutes longer to reach peak flame height compared to the non-FR-treated cubes but had similar heat release rates. Based on our data and the presence of other fire safety measures, the local fire and building departments approved replacement of the foam pit with FR-free foam. We observed a 5-fold decline in the median mass of pit-FRs that accumulated on hand-wipes during practice among gymnasts who used the foam pit (p=0.02), indicating that replacing a foam pit using FR-free foam can reduce gymnast exposure to FRs during practice.