PentaBDE and Tris were the only flame retardants found in couches purchased before 2005. After 2005, Tris was the most common flame retardant found.

Additionally, Stapleton and colleagues identified two new flame-retardant chemical mixtures, for which there is little or no health data available, in more recently purchased couches. Stapleton says because so many new proprietary chemical flame retardants have been introduced in recent years, scientists haven’t been able to identify them all or determine their presence in consumer products.