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When flame retardants are not present, as was the case in the tragic 2003 Rhode Island Station nightclub fire in which 100 people died during a fire involving foam insulation that was not flame-retarded, rapid ignition and fire spread can lead to significant loss of life and property.

What they fail to mention is that the band was shooting off unapproved, unsafe pyrotechnics (i.e. fireworks) in the nightclub, which is what caused the fire. They actually repeat this paragraph twice on the page.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, flame-retardants are carcinogens.

After studies in Sweden found substances related to PentaBDE accumulating in breast milk and other tissues, Sweden reduced the use of this substance.

Now, that’s just one. There are many others, all with scary sounding names. What California AB 706 is about is preserving the profits of this toxic industry, not saving lives. Sure, save the lives of few thousand people from fire, and condemn everyone who gets near these toxic chemicals to the threat of cancer? Well, thanks for giving me my state senator’s phone number, Californiansforfiresafety.org. Want to know who your California legislators are, and be able to bug them about this, whether for or against?

You must speak to be heard.

update: Oh yes, the retardants being banned do not constitute “fire retardants” as Californiansforfiresafety.org claims, but rather they constitute “some fire retardants.” Many more fire retardants are still legal after this bill passes. Upon further reading of the actual text of the bill, I found a part that mentions that all retardants will have to go through safety screening and be known to not be toxic and bioaccumulative in animals (including humans) before being approved for use. It works in reverse for any current retardants, if they are found toxic they will be banned.

The bill text itself further seals the grave on Californiansforfiresafety.org’s arguments with this sub-paragraph:

Utilizing existing technologies in both chemical fire retardants and in construction techniques, the mattress and institutional furniture industries have achieved a higher level of fire safety without the use of BFRs and CFRs. Updating California statute and regulation will enable the residential furniture industry to do the same.

And, even if the BFRs and CFRs do delay ignition of material, they convert into dioxin immediately afterwards, just in time for you to inhale a big cloud of give me cancer! Don’t believe me, ask a Vietnam vet.

A 2003 study at Umea University in Sweden found that brominated fire retardants efficiently convert into dioxins and furans when they combust after just seconds of delayed flame ignition. Dioxins and furans have been designated by the National Toxicology Program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services as known human carcinogens and, in the case of dioxins, contact with skin is a primary route of human exposure.

They kill firefighters too, according to the bill:

A 2006 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that firefighters have a probable cancer risk for multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. Eight additional cancers also were found to have a possible occupational link to firefighting. The presence of carcinogenic chemical byproducts in soot and smoke, such as dioxins and furans created when brominated fire retardants burn, are considered the probable source of workplace cancer risks for firefighters.

There’s more stuff in the bill but it’s boring, and mostly legal wrangling about how and where to apply the bill. Enjoy.

China has also since agreed to ban the use of lead in toys exported to the US.

I’m proud of China. They’ve done what we, apparently, haven’t, banned the use of lead in toys imported to the US.  I say this because I have previously noted that the amount of lead in Chinese toys was an “unsafe amount,” implying that there is a safe amount of toxins in the toys of American children.

“About 253,000 Pixar Sarge die-cast toy cars with lead paint were also recalled. Lead has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.

Earlier this month Mattel’s Fisher-Price unit recalled about 1.5 million preschool toys made by China-based contract manufacturer Lida Toy Co. because the paint on the toys might contain excessive amounts of lead. The global recall included products based on popular preschool characters from ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Dora the Explorer.’”

Seriously, what is a safe amount of lead in paint on children’s toys?

Oh, right, NONE.

“Like mercury, another heavy metal, lead is a potent neurotoxin which accumulates in soft tissues and bone over time.”

Seriously, US media, this kind of information took me like 5 seconds to look up. All you have to do is find it, then fact-check it. Even dictionary.com mentions it’s toxic.

“lead poisoning or plumbism, intoxication of the system by organic compounds containing lead. These enter the body by respiration (of dust, fumes, or sprays) or by ingestion of food or other substances that contain lead. Lead poisoning, formerly a leading occupational hazard in industrialized countries, can be an acute episode but is usually a chronic, cumulative disease brought about by continuous exposure.”

And I’m quite sure Reuters employs much better sources of information like Lexis-Nexis or whatever the current shit-hot for-pay vetted information systems are employed today.

Oh! A paragraph on the dangers of lead. Sort of.

“Nancy Nord, acting chairwoman of the CPSC, said the new recall was made especially large to prevent injuries from the toys.

“‘There is absolutely no excuse for lead to be found in toys entering this country,’ she said. ‘It is totally unacceptable and it needs to stop. This agency is going to take whatever action it needs to take to address that problem aggressively.’”

The CPSC is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

So I wonder, exactly, what percentage of toys that Mattel currently has on shelves this 18.5 million toys recalled represents?