“Activists Use Faulty Claims to Push Flame Retardant Ban,” By Angela Logomasini, Ph.D.
Look before you leap” has long been considered sage advice. But environmental activist today called on regulators at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to take a leap of faith and ban an entire class of flame retardant chemicals because they believe the chemicals are dangerous. These groups lack data to prove their claims, so they want the commission to rely on junk science to fill “data gaps.” Today’s hearings addressed a petition filed by the group Earth Justice and other anti-chemical activists. It called on CPSC to ban the use of all “organohalogen” flame retardants in upholstered furniture sold for home use in mattresses, mattress pads, and in the plastic casing of all electronic devices. The agency held a hearing at the end of 2015 and commission staff completed a report last spring that recommended that the five commissioners deny the petition in good measure because they don’t have data to support a ban.
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