ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Anchorage is the latest U.S. municipality to ban flame retardants in products such as foam-filled furniture.
The ban is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2020, and will cover the sale and manufacture of products, or parts of products, that contain more than 1000 ppm prohibited flame retardants.
Prohibited FRs include halogenated, organophosphorus, organonitrogen and nanoscale products. It also covers penta-, octa- and deca-PBDEs and decaBDE, as well as antimony. The ban also covers chemicals designated under the Biomonitoring California initiative and Washington state's list of chemicals of high concern.
Anchorage's ban does not include stock acquired by retailers before 2020 or second-hand items. Children's toys and clothing, and electronics are exempt.
Similar bans are already in place in San Francisco, Rhode Island and California, while a ban in Massachusetts was vetoed by the governor in January. A state-wide ban for Alaska is also under consideration. Anchorage is the state's largest town, with a population of 291,000 in 2018.