The California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation is ending its public comment period today, and the agency appears to be dangerously close to removing one of the state’s important fire safety standards. The proposed changes to Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) would eliminate the state’s progressive open flame test […]
Tag Archives: Flame Retardants
Aviation experts credit flame retardant materials for providing critical escape time for San Francisco crash survivors
The Asiana Airline crash in San Francisco that resulted in the tragic deaths of two Chinese students and injured scores of other passengers has raised many questions. But one thing is clear: The number of survivors is astounding. Several factors played a role, including flame retardant materials, used to meet FAA standards, which helped to […]
Experts to California: Open flame test is important
It has been a week since the comment period ended in California for TB-117-2013, a proposal that would remove the state’s open flame test for upholstered furniture, and already it is becoming clear that those with a grounded understanding of fire safety codes are weighing in on the side of keeping an open flame test. […]
NAFRA companies look forward to working with EPA on flame retardant assessments
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release this week saying it would begin assessments on 23 commonly used chemicals, including some flame retardants, in order to fully understand their health and environmental effects. The North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA) is encouraged that EPA has undertaken an initial screening of a number […]
California Bureau hears public comments on proposal to reduce fire safety
The California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (the Bureau) is holding a hearing today to accept final public comments on a draft regulation that would eliminate the state’s open flame test for upholstered furniture. The hearing comes at a time when, according to the National […]
Council of independent scientists advises flame retardant industry
It’s important that industry maintain an ongoing dialogue with the scientific community. One example of how industry engages the deep knowledge of scientific experts comes from the North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA). NAFRA represents three of the world’s largest manufacturers of flame retardants — the chemicals that act to protect safety by helping to […]
Debating fire safety in California
Has the incidence of home fires in California dropped exponentially over the last four years? If so, it hasn’t been reported. We ask because the bureau that oversees fire regulations for home furnishings has drastically changed its tune on the state’s open flame regulations, in Technical Bulletin 117, for upholstered furniture. Since 2008, that bureau […]
National publication provides a balanced, science-based analysis of flame retardants
A national trade publication today released an exhaustively researched article on flame retardants (“Ablaze Over Furniture Fires”) that sheds light on how leading experts view the chemicals. We found the following observations, as reported by William G. Schulz of Chemical & Engineering News, particularly insightful. Regarding some efforts to reduce fire-safety standards: Regarding a National Institute of […]
Environmental Health News gets it wrong about ACC and underplays benefits of flame retardants
The American Chemistry Council works to educate policymakers about how chemistry makes life better for people across the country and around the world. That’s why it’s discouraging to see reports, like the one that appeared today in Environmental Health News, that misrepresent ACC’s advocacy initiatives. Prominent among the inaccuracies was the implication that all expenditures […]
