Can flame retardants in children's furniture and mattresses increase the risk of ADHD?

What's actually in it

Halogenated flame retardants include brominated (like PBDEs) and chlorinated compounds added to foam in sofas, children's mattresses, car seats, and electronics. They release from products over time into dust. Children ingest them through hand-to-mouth contact and breathing. These chemicals accumulate in fat tissue and the brain.

Thyroid hormones control the pace of brain development. When flame retardants disrupt thyroid function, the timing of neurodevelopmental milestones shifts. ADHD involves disruptions to the same dopamine and norepinephrine systems that thyroid hormones help regulate.

What the research says

The 2026 Canadian birth cohort study in Environ Res measured halogenated flame retardant levels in children and tracked thyroid function markers alongside ADHD-related behavioral assessments. Children with higher flame retardant exposure showed disrupted thyroid hormone ratios and higher scores on ADHD-related trait measures.

The pathway appears to run through thyroid disruption: flame retardants alter thyroid hormone metabolism, and the resulting hormonal imbalance affects the brain regions and neurotransmitter systems involved in attention regulation.

Newer brominated flame retardants replaced older PBDEs when those were restricted, but the new compounds show similar patterns of thyroid disruption and neurotoxicity. Switching products doesn't solve the problem if the replacement uses the same chemical class.

For children's furniture and mattresses, choosing products certified as flame-retardant-chemical-free (using wool batting, which is naturally fire-resistant, or GOTS-certified organic mattresses) removes this exposure pathway. Car seats are harder to substitute, but keeping children from chewing on them reduces ingestion.