Contact: Bryan Goodman (202) 249-6510
Email:
Bryan_Goodman@americanchemistry.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 30, 2014) - California Gov. Jerry Brown today signed into law a new furniture labeling bill that fails to provide essential fire-safety information to consumers. In response to the new law, the
American Chemistry Council's North American Flame Retardant Alliance
released the following statement:
"We are disappointed that the governor has signed SB 1019 into law. The law does consumers a great disservice by failing to inform them that furniture sold in the state may no longer be protected from open-flame sources, such as candles, lighters, and matches. The law also requires labels on furniture to make inaccurate claims about flame retardants-chemistries that have been proven to help stop or slow the spread of fire and save lives.
"Fire protection organizations, including the
National Fire Protection Association
and
Underwriters Laboratories
, have stressed the importance of protecting furniture against open-flame ignition sources. We are disappointed that the governor signed into law a bill that does not give consumers all the information they need to choose products that contain strong fire-protection measures."