Flame Retardants: EHHI Recommends Policy Changes

EHHI Recommends Changes to Protect the Health of the Public and Vulnerable Infants

Flame retardants in consumer products need to be labeled. This is necessary so that people can choose to buy either products that have flame retardants in them — or those products that are free from flame retardants.

In this way, an industry can grow up that will produce products that are free from flame retardants — just as the food industry has developed organic products for those who want to buy products without pesticides.


Flame retardants need to be removed from infant products. As things are now tiny infants are brought home from the hospital and everything they come in contact with contains toxic flame retardants. Their mattresses, changing tables, nursing mats, baby seats, everything contains toxic flame retardants. If regulations only remove one type of toxic chemical from infant products, industry will simply replace it with another toxic chemical. That has been the history of flame retardants since the tobacco industry introduced them to us in the 1970's and had them put into all consumer products.