KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 4) — The Polyurethane Foam Association is asking the State of California to suspend its small open flame testing requirement for upholstered furniture to give the flexible PU foam industry time to find new flame retardants.
The California Furniture Safety and Fire Prevention Act, introduced in February in the California legislature, would ban brominated and chlorinated fire retardants in the production of foam.
However, brominated and chlorinated fire retardants comprise 90 to 95 percent of the fire retardants used in the flexible foam industry, said PFA President Bobby Bush in a letter to the state.
Bush cited the foam industry's consistent proactive stance on environmental issues, including its total phaseout of chlorofluorocarbons well in advance of the deadline set by the Montreal Protocol. California is the only state with a small open flame standard for furniture, said Robert Luedeka, PFA executive director.