Anchorage, Alaska – Anchorage is the latest US municipality to ban flame retardants in products such as foam-filled furniture.
The ban will come into force on 1 January 2020. It will cover the sale and manufacture of products, or parts of products, that contain more than 1000 ppm prohibited flame retardants.
Proscribed FRs include halogenated, organophosphorus, organonitrogen and nanoscale products. It also covers penta-, octa- and deca-PBDEs and decaBDE, as well as antimony. The ban also covers chemicals designated under the Biomonitoring California programme. Also included are chemicals found on Washington state’s list of chemicals of high concern.
Anchorage's ban does not include stock acquired by retailers before 2020 or second-hand items. Children’s toys and clothing, and electronics are exempt.
Similar bans are already in place in San Francisco, Rhode Island and California, while a ban in Massachusetts was vetoed by the governor in January. A state-wide ban for Alaska is also under consideration. Anchorage is the state's largest town, with a population of 291,000 in 2018.
