NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - 80

Safety Policy by Meghan Housewright

THE VIEW FROM
THE NFPA FIRE & LIFE
SAFETY POLICY
INSTITUTE

Health vs. Safety?
WHY BANNING CERTAIN CHEMICAL FLAME RETARDANTS IN
UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE FOR HEALTH REASONS CREATES A FIRE SAFETY ISSUE-
AND WHY HOME FIRE SPRINKLERS ARE THE SOLUTION

or years , manufactur-

the Fire Protection Research Foundation.
ers have added chemical
Combined with the faster burn times of
flame retardants to upholfurnishings made from synthetic material
stered furniture and other
such as foam cushion couches and plastics,
products to improve fire
deadly conditions can develop in less than
safety. Health experts, however, have
three minutes-less time than it takes for
become increasingly alarmed by the growemergency responders to arrive and often
ing body of research that links some of
less time than it takes to evacuate.
these chemicals to cancer, as well as to
Fire sprinklers buy time and save lives.
the disruption of a range of human body
Fire sprinklers activate within 90 seconds
systems. A petition moved forward by the
of the start of a fire to contain it and allow
U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commisoccupants to escape. The death rate in home
sion (CPSC) in 2017 cites these concerns
fires where fire sprinklers are present is 80
in seeking to ban a large class of these
percent lower than in homes where they
If policymakers move
chemicals from many consumer products,
are not present. Sprinklers also provide a
away from chemical
including upholstered furniture.
health and safety benefit to firefighters,
flame retardants,
As the pressure to ban these substances
minimizing their exposure to fires and the
the fire safety of
mounts, the search for a path that won't
toxic smoke and gases those fires produce.
upholstered furniture
compromise fire safety or health should
However, while more than 13 states
cannot just be ignored.
lead policymakers straight to an existing,
have moved ahead with measures to ban
toxin-free solution-home fire sprinklers.
chemical flame retardants, only two of
In the push to see chemical flame retarthose states, California and Maryland,
dants banned, many advocates argue that
require residential construction that
the chemicals' fire safety benefits are far
meets current standards that include
outstripped by their detrimental impact on human health. But the fire sprinklers. Nowhere else do statewide directives exist
prominent role of upholstered furniture in fire fatalities, which to follow the sprinkler requirement, meaning that the vast
NFPA statistics show are involved in about 18 percent of all home majority of the country's new single-family homes are built
fire civilian deaths, argues for caution. According to NFPA statis- without fire sprinklers.
tics, the average number of yearly fire deaths in the U.S. in fires
As policymakers contend with the health ramifications of the
where upholstered furniture was the first item ignited fell from flame retardant chemical debate, they cannot lose sight of the
1,220 during the period 1980-1984 to 480 during 2006-2010, a 61 very real home fire problem. The CPSC should of course act to
percent decline. Multiple factors may be at work to explain this protect the health of consumers, but in so doing should also
drop, but it is possible that flame retardants played a role. If poli- strongly encourage states and other jurisdictions to adopt curcymakers move away from chemical flame retardants, the problem rent building codes that require home fire sprinklers. The CPSC
of fire safety of upholstered furniture cannot simply be ignored.
should also continue pursuing specific strategies for upholstered
And it isn't just about furniture. Overall, today's homes burn furniture, including better barrier materials and other nontoxic
much faster than those built just 20 years ago. In a residential fire, fire safety measures.
typical modern features such as large open floor plans and unproAll policymakers must be champions of consumer health as
tected lightweight construction methods can cause newer homes well as consumer safety. Together, we can alleviate the health
to reach structural failure 30 to 65 percent faster than a home risks without compromising fire safety.
constructed with methods in use several decades ago, according
to reports from UL, the National Research Council of Canada, and Meghan Housewright is director of the NFPA Fire & Life Safety Policy Institute.

80 | NFPA JOURNAL * J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2018