Reducing Californians' Exposure to Toxic Chemicals By Banning Brominated and Chlorinated Fire Retardants

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Assemblymember Mark Leno

Over the last 50 years, chemicals have come to play a role in all aspects of our lives. They make our clothes brighter, keep insects out of our fruits and vegetables and protect us from fires. But they come at a cost. Many of us assume that the chemicals in the products sold to us have gone through testing to ensure their safety. In fact, only a small number of the 80,000 chemicals registered with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been tested for harmful effects. Each of us have some degree of chemical contamination in our bodies, and scientists are only now learning how they can have a profound affect on our health and the Earth.

This year, I have authored Assembly Bill 706 which will ban the use of two classes of toxic fire retardants— brominated and chlorinated fire retardants—in upholstered furniture and bedding products such as pillows, comforters and mattresses.

For all the right public safety reasons, California has some of the toughest fire retardance standards on the books. These standards, passed in the 1970’s are the reason why California became the first and only state that adds chemical fire retardants to our sofas, chairs, and mattresses. Not surprisingly, over the past 20 years, the toxic chemicals used as fire retardants have been measured at increasing and alarming rates in humans.

Brominated fire retardants are found at the highest levels in babies, toddlers, and women. Because these chemicals bioaccumulate in fatty tissues, they are passed to babies when they are breast fed by their mothers. In fact, PBDE’s, a subcategory of brominated fire retardants, have increased forty-fold in human breast milk since the 1970’s. Even so, it’s important to note that the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the chemical exposure risks and is still strongly recommended by the medical community.