Gov. Jerry Brown made a bold move last month when he directed a state agency to update California's 40-year-old furniture flammability standards to improve fire safety and eliminate use of toxic and untested chemicals.
For decades, an ineffective California flammability standard, TB 117, has resulted in the foam inside our sofas, recliners and love seats being saturated with nearly 2 pounds of toxic flame retardants. Not surprisingly, this large volume of chemicals does not stay in the foam but slowly evaporates and attaches to dust particles that are ingested or inhaled by us, our children and pets. In fact, house dust in California homes and Californian children are the most polluted in the world with toxic flame retardant chemicals.
Exposure to toxic flame retardants has been linked to real and measurable health impacts. Women with higher levels of flame retardants in their blood take longer to get pregnant and have smaller babies. Children exposed in the womb have a lower IQ and attention problems. Other studies have linked flame retardants to male infertility, male birth defects and early puberty in girls. A recent study in animals has linked toxic flame retardants to autism.
We can't shop our way out of exposure to toxic chemicals. However, better regulation of chemicals can address and solve this concerning problem. What is important now is to keep the pressure on our public officials and state and federal agencies, to ensure the changes under way continue. Immediate and effective state and federal action to eliminate the use of toxic flame retardants goes hand-in-hand with ensuring Congress reforms chemical laws to protect our health.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/20/4643254/change-safety-standards-for-toxic.html#storylink=cpy
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1 comment:
I have brought this up every time I shopped for furniture, so Mr smug salesman stalking me until I get tired of it. I ask..... Oh everything we use in & on our furniture is safe for the family and the environment. OK throw me a deal Mr smug, ya sure and we even cart the old crap away. So after years of sitting on product that has high toxic levels, not like I had none in me already. So 5 years ago when we left our house for apt life, oh I should have hung myself a month later. I started to get a rash all over my body when I walked,sat or layed like the king that I am. I would break out in this rash that made me break out all over, so when I asked the owners of the complex about what kind of chem's they used on their carpet. Oh we don't treat them with any thing... We moved of course into another apt and gee whizz no more rash. So yes in closing this stuff has to be tested and regulated a whole lot better, all across the USA. Just one more tidbit our bedroom and dining room furniture was all made in Viet Nam, Aaah AO Maybe???
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