Washington, United States -- The North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA), the flame retardant arm of the American Chemistry Council, has criticised a bill aimed at improving the safety of furniture currently being considered by Californian lawmakers.
Senate Bill 1019 (Leno) will give consumers the right to know whether the furniture they buy contains chemicals and require upholstered or foam-filled furniture offered for sale to carry a label identifying the item's composition in a set manner.
The North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA) released the following statement:
“SB 1019 does California consumers a great disservice. The bill fails to inform consumers that furniture sold in the state may no longer be protected from open-flame sources, such as candles, lighters, and matches. The bill also makes inaccurate claims about flame retardants - chemistries that have been proven to help stop or slow the spread of fire and save lives.
"Fires represent a real danger to families across the state and furniture should contain strong fire-safety measures that protect against potentially devastating situations.
“Fire protection organisations, including the National Fire Protection Association and Underwriters Laboratories, have stressed the importance of protecting furniture against open-flame ignition sources. We are disappointed that the legislature passed a bill that does not give consumers the information they need to choose products that contain strong fire-protection measures,” the statement concluded.
Consumer Federation of California testified in support of SB 1019 at the April 21, 2014, hearing of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, which passed the bill on a bipartisan vote. It now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1019 builds on the regulatory change that took effect this year, which replaced an unrealistic open-flame test of the flammability of upholstered furniture with a more accurate analysis of the resistance of furniture fabric barriers to smouldering ignition sources, such as cigarettes that might fall between cushions.
