SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In an effort to protect public safety by
reducing the use of toxic flame retardants, Governor Edmund G.
Brown Jr. directs state agencies to revise flammability
standards for upholstered furniture sold in the state. Governor
Brown has asked the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair,
Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation to review the state’s
four-decade-old flammability standards and recommend changes to
reduce toxic flame retardants while continuing to ensure fire
safety. “Toxic flame retardants are found in everything from
high chairs to couches and a growing body of evidence suggests
that these chemicals harm human health and the environment,”
Governor Brown says. “We must find better ways to meet fire
safety standards by reducing and eliminating — wherever possible
— dangerous chemicals.” Studies show that humans are at risk
from exposure to toxic chemicals used as flame retardants in
upholstered furniture. A 2008 study by the Environmental Working
Group found that toddlers ofte