Do the fumes from scotchgard outweigh the benefits?

I recently saw an article about the potential hazards of Scotchgard type products too. But living here in "chemical valley" that would be the least of my worries.
I think the rule is 'if you can smell it it's bad for you'.

Here is the Material Safety Data Sheet for Scotchguard (the actual 3M product). As you read it, you will be convinced NEVER EVER to touch the product, but obviously it has been used and sold for decades and can not be as "lethal" as you might expect after reading the MSDS. It appears that it is most dangerous when applying it, due to fire/explosion hazards, as well as respiratory and skin exposure issues. Meaning do not huff it or bathe in it while treating your fabric, while warming yourself in front of the fireplace. Should be safe to apply in a well ventilated, spark/ignition-free environment.

www.vercounty.org/MSDS/Tech%20Services/3MScotchGuard.pdf

I have worn lots of fire-retardant cotton clothing in my line of work, and most of the fire retardant coveralls biggest drawbacks are that as the coveralls are washed repeatedly, if mixed in with other cotton garments that are not treated. The actual fire retardant leeches from the treated fabric to the untreated, and the protective ability diminishes. I imagine scotchguarded material, if you wash it frequently with similar untreated cloth, would probably shed some of the waterproofing ability too. But most people do not frequently wash camper bench seat covers. I believe you could spray your fabric and thoroughly air dry and then wash it, in a stand alone wash, and machine dry it, and it would be safe to use...OR, you could consider two other options...purchase already professionally Scotchguarded commercial fabric or if you really want that 50's look and feel, cover your finished seat covers in that clear vinyl that for some insane reason was the rage in the 50's for sofas and living room chairs. But remember, when the clear vinyl is burned in a fire, it releases phosgene gas, best known for it's use as a chemical warfare agent. Happy Sewing!

One final comment...if you have any questions about the safety of a commercial product you can usually do a straightforward search typing in the product name and Material Safety Data Sheet after it and hit search. Today most manufacturers MUST make a MSDS available to the public for any product that requires one. Took me about 15 seconds to get the Scotchgard MSDS in pdf form, even though I misspelled it with a u during my search and in this response...