Choose carpet cushion free of brominated flame retardants
This class of flame retardants is a potential health risk.
Flexible polyurethane foam carpet padding, also known as carpet cushion or underlayment, once contained fairly high levels of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Although levels of BFRs have dropped since 2005, carpet cushion made from post-consumer recycled polyurethane foam may still contain residual BFRs. Because polyurethane foam breaks down over time, these BFRs may be released into the house as dust. BFRs have raised various health concerns, so it's best to avoid carpet cushion with recycled content unless the recycled sources are known to be free of BFRs.
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