ch.annel2-i.s-n.ow-a.ngry

Reading a Reuters article about Madonna’s latest controversy, get to this gem in the closing paragraphs:

But David Horowitz, a conservative writer and activist, took a more dim view of Madonna’s latest controversy.

“We’re in a sad situation if we’re turning to entertainers for political wisdom,” he told Reuters.

Said the man who belongs to the party of Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The party that hails Ronald Reagan more than Lincoln.

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.