Getting rid of old furniture immediately starts lowering the toxic flame retardants in your body. Here’s why

Old sofas are filled with flame retardants, which have been linked to cancer risk and neurodevelopmental issues. A new study looks at what happens in your body when you get new furniture.

If your sofa was made between 1970 and 2014, its foam is likely loaded with flame retardants—chemicals that can escape into dust and end up in the air you breathe.