Drafter
Clerk 02/23/2012
Title
A MOTION expressing support for measures that amend the Children's Safe Products Act by banning certain toxic flame retardants in products designed for children, and requiring assessment of alternatives to other chemicals of concern, being considered by the Washington state Legislature.
Body
WHEREAS, parents and caregivers of young children acknowledge the special responsibility they have for assuring children's physical wellbeing, including the duty to protect them from exposure to harmful products and toxic substances, and
WHEREAS, in carrying out such responsibility, parents and caregivers place trust in product manufacturers for consideration of safety and health concerns in the production of consumer products widely available through major retail outlets, particularly those intended for use in service to children, and
WHEREAS, a recent assessment of children's products purchased from major retailers, such as car seats, bassinette pads, changing pads and nursing pillows, has found that, of the twenty items tested, seventeen showed evidence of the presence of toxic flame retardants, and
WHEREAS, the most frequently detected chemical among these flame retardants is a chemical known as "chlorinated TRIS," which has been declared a carcinogen by the state of California, and was removed from children's pajamas several decades ago after laboratory studies found it could cause mutations, and
WHEREAS, this assessment was reported on by the Washington Toxics Coalition and Safe States in a report entitled Hidden Hazards in the Nursery, January 2012, and
WHEREAS, the report indicated further that these toxic flame retardants are used to treat polyurethane foam that was present in all of the products tested, and that the toxic flame retardants are not chemically bound to the foam, and therefore can escape into the home environment and settle on surfaces, and
WHEREAS the report described young children's heightened vulnerability to...

Click here for full text