Calif. Places Flame Retardant on List of Harmful Chemicals
On Wednesday, a science committee at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment voted 5-1 to add chlorinated Tris to the state's list of harmful carcinogens under Proposition 65. Prop. 65, or the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, was enacted in 1986 to protect state residents and the public drinking water supply from chemicals found to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive problems. Although chlorinated Tris previously was banned from use in children's clothing, manufacturers of furniture and a range of baby products commonly use it as a flame retardant. Officials at the state environmental hazard office and representatives from natural resource and environmental policy groups praised the committee's action.
- "Flame Retardant Added to State's List of Cancer-Causing Chemicals" (Rust, California Watch, 10/13).
- "California Lists Flame Retardant as a Carcinogen" ("Greenspace," Los Angeles Times, 10/12).