California officials have plan in works to replace toxic products
By Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune reporter
July 24, 2012
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—
As California officials move toward new rules that could eliminate the use of toxic flame retardants in furniture, chemical companies appeared at a state hearing Monday to push back.
"No one should support changes that weaken fire safety standards," said Bob Campbell, an executive for flame retardant maker Chemtura.
The proposed changes to the state's furniture flammability standard have national implications because manufacturers have applied it to products sold across the U.S. The rule has placed flame retardants into couches, love seats and other upholstered furnishings in homes nationwide.
A Tribune investigative series in May revealed a deceptive, decades-old campaign by the tobacco and chemical industries to promote the obscure California rule and the use of flame retardants.
Shortly after the series was published, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced that the state would reform its standard, which has not been overhauled since it was adopted in 1975.
The chemical industry has argued that flame retardants save lives, but federal and independent scientists say California's standard doesn't effectively protect people from fires. Meanwhile, some flame retardants have been linked to health problems including cancer, developmental issues, impaired fertility and neurological deficits.
Change in California could mean that for the first time in a generation, flame retardants that pose serious health risks but provide little safety benefit would not be added to many home furnishings.
Greg Symes, a manager with Israel Chemicals Ltd., said at the hearing that the state should review its flammability rule "pragmatically with the direction of sound science not skewed by fear mongering and emotional manipulation."
"All too often, all chemical flame retardants are painted with a broad brush and negatively portrayed in the media as undermining human health and the environment," he said.
California officials said they were committed to scrapping the rule and replacing it with fire-safety tests that can be met without the use of toxic chemicals. The officials said they hoped to have the new standard in place within a year.
"I do think it will be challenging to get the proposal through," said Tonya Blood, chief of the state agency crafting the new rule. "Any time you deal with a standard that deals with deaths and casualties it becomes a sensitive issue."
California currently requires foam in furniture to withstand a candlelike flame for 12 seconds. The cheapest way for industry to pass this test is to add flame retardants to the foam.
As there is no similar federal requirement in place, California's rule has become the de facto national standard.
Studies show that the chemicals added to foam to meet California's rule do not slow fire in any meaningful way. Researchers say the rule has created the worst of both possible worlds: enough chemicals in furniture to pose health risks but not enough to limit fires.
The state wants to eliminate the candlelike flame test and replace it with a standard requiring furniture to resist a smoldering cigarette. Cigarettes are a far more common cause of furniture fires than candles, and federal safety officials have said a smolder standard could be met without the use of chemicals because the fabric covering most furniture is sufficient to pass the test.
State officials will hold another workshop about the reforms on Wednesday in Riverside, after which they will make a final proposal.
Public health advocates and industry representatives are expected to continue weighing in on the plan over the next few months as it winds its way through the state's rule-making process, including a public comment period.