Tag: flame retardant

5 Truly Terrifying Things About Halloween

Posted on by robbie

Want to hear something really scary? According to the National Retail Federation, the average American plans to spend about $77 this Halloween — that’s an increase from $75.03 last year. In fact, the total spending on Halloween items this year will reach $7.4 billion. This insane amount of money is really great for the costume and decorations industry, but the sheer amount of waste it generates is terrible for the environment.
We know many of you are probably really looking forward to the haunted houses, parties and indulging your sweet tooth during this holiday favorite. However, before you bob for your first apple, there are a few things you might want to know first.

1. Costumes

Thanks to the Flammable Fabrics Act, most packaged Halloween costumes are made with (cheap, mass produced) flame-resistant fabrics that won’t catch fire or can be extinguished quickly. Of course, this is a good idea for children (or adults) who run around near candlelit Jack-o-lanterns in billowing capes or flowing garments. However, as Healthy Child Editorial Director Alexandra Zissu writes in a blog post, “growing evidence links flame retardants with adverse health effects, including hormone disruption, reproductive issues and neurological development concerns. Some of these chemicals have been banned or limited in the U.S. and other countries due to health concerns.” You might be thinking that because you’re only wearing it for one night, you won’t be negatively affected. However, since most costumes end up in the bottom of closets before they get sent to the landfill, these toxic chemicals end up leaching out into the environment.
The green alternative: Look for “PVC-free” or “phthalate free” costumes (the ones that don’t smell like a shower curtain). You might not win any costume contests, but consider swapping old ones with a pal, rummaging through vintage or thrift stores for items or scrounging your closet. You’d be surprised with how many clever costumes can be put together with simple items found in your home.

2. Makeup and face paint

A 2009 report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that 10 out of 10 (!) children’s face paints contained low levels of lead — ranging from 0.05 to 0.65 parts per million (no level of lead is good for you). Some paints might also contain nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause skin issues such as sensitization and contact dermatitis. The scariest part is that these chemicals were not even listed on the ingredient labels, even though they claimed to be “hypoallergenic” and “FDA compliant,” the report found.
The green alternative: The Sierra Club has a list of eco-friendly cosmetics as well as fake skin and face paint recipes made with natural food coloring and fruit or vegetable-based dyes.

3. Pumpkins

Millions of pounds of these Halloween icons turn up in the dump each year after they are carved up for a single evening. That’s just a huge waste — pumpkins are food and people are starving. A pumpkin also takes a huge amount of resources, energy and fertilizers to grow before it makes its way to your porch. According to ThinkProgress, pumpkin farmers in California (the second largest second-largest pumpkin producer in U.S. behind Illinois) are upping the price of pumpkins by 15 percent due to the devastating drought increasing costs of growing.
The green alternative: Compost it, slice up the flesh for soup or muffins, bake the seeds or blend them into a facial exfoliant instead of throwing it away. Pumpkins can also have a second life as fuel. There are facilities around the country, such as the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland, Calif., that turn discarded pumpkins and other food waste into renewable electricity.

4. Decorations

Just like costumes, Halloween decorations are usually made of cheap, non-recyclable plastics that clog up landfills after use. Also, many decorative candles and the tea lights that are placed inside pumpkins contain petroleum-based paraffin that release out harmful chemicals when lit.
The green alternative: DIY decorations, or go outdoors and find pine cones, leaves and twigs (a fun family activity). As for candles, find ones made of soy or beeswax. For parties, use actual cups, plates and silverware instead of the disposable stuff. Even if you can’t be bothered with washing dishes, there’s compostable stuff that’s available. And please recycle those bottles and cans. The simple idea is this: the less you buy, the better.

5. Candy

If you care about rhinos, tigers or orangutans, then you want to shop smart for candy. Many Halloween treats (as well as other foods and products) are made with unsustainable palm oil, which is cheap to ship and produce but is absolutely no good for the planet. Besides emitting tons of greenhouse gases, the burning of forests for palm oil plantations are a leading cause of deforestation, air pollution and destruction of wildlife and natural habitats in southeast Asia.
The green alternative: Before you shop, check out this list from the El Paso Zoo of palm oil-free candy (or you can download their app). Also, if you can, choose treats that don’t come in excessive packaging. Better yet, make your own sweets.
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California’s New Law on Flame Retardants Could Change the Furniture Industry for the Better

Posted on by robbie

While California’s official plastic bag ban might have gotten the most media attention lately, a different bill from the Golden State could have a much bigger environmental and health impact on the whole country.
The Guardian reports that starting Jan. 1, the state will require furniture manufacturers to label consumer products containing flame-retardant chemicals — a change that could alter the entire furniture industry and literally change how we sit (for the better).
In case you didn’t know, the upholstered furniture in our homes, schools, businesses and hospitals are potentially toxic and dangerous. Why? Due to a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided rule called TB-117 which California enacted in the 1970s (that unfortunately trickled down to furniture manufacturers nationwide), our beloved couches are very likely stuffed with flame-retardant filling.
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What’s not good about that? Well, the National Resources Defense Council (NDRC) calls it a “classic example of a stupid use of a chemical: they are ineffective in preventing furniture fires and are linked to serious health effects.” This includes lower birth weight, reduced IQ (similar to lead poisoning), hyperactivity, poorer coordination, reduced fertility, birth defects, hormonal changes and cancer, the Green Health Policy Institute warns.
As the video below illustrates, these chemicals seep out through couch coverings, mix with the air and get into our bodies and the environment. Young children are particularly vulnerable to exposure because they crawl and tend to put things from the floor into their mouth. Additionally, not only are these couches still incredibly flammable, the chemicals in them can make fires even more toxic by forming deadly gases and soot.
And don’t think you’re safe if you don’t live in California. Most couches purchased outside of the state also contain high levels of many different kinds of retardants, meaning most Americans are exposed. According to the NDRC, “Americans carry much higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies than anyone else in the world and California children contain some of the highest levels ever measured.” (Check this link here to learn how to check if your furniture has flame-retardant materials)
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The Guardian reports that while environmentalists and health advocates have been trying to fight TB-117 since it came out, the chemical industry has successfully pushed back their efforts through lobbying tactics for several decades. It wasn’t until 2012 when the Chicago Tribune ran exposés on flame retardant furniture foams that any serious legal efforts were made. (Last year, California lawmakers amended the outdated law, requiring that covers were flame resistant, rather than its filling.)
That’s why the new measure, Senate Bill 1019 (signed on Sept. 30 by Gov. Jerry Brown), is a big step forward to safer furniture, better health and cleaner air. While furniture makers can still technically create products with chemically laden material, they are now forced to indicate so on a label if they want to sell it in California. And since California has such a large share of the market, it’s likely that manufacturers will adapt this new rule for other states, too. Meaning that this law has the potential to affect citizens nationwide, not just Californians.
Hopefully, we’ll see toxic furniture phased out for good.
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