Safety Groups Petition Consumer Bureau to Ban Flame-retardant Products

Consumer-safety groups want federal regulators to ban products made with the flame-retardant chemicals known as organohalogens.

Groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Consumers Union, are petitioning the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban consumer products containing the chemical in four categories—children’s products, furniture, mattresses and the casings around electronics.

The groups say the chemicals, which migrate continuously out from everyday household products into the air and dust, have been linked to cancer, lower sperm count, premature births, decreased IQ in children, impaired memory, learning deficits, hyperactivity, hormone disruption and lowered immunity.