Projects

California Bed Clothing Standard

bed clothing

Status: Successfully Completed

The Problem:
California Technical Bulletin 604 was a pending flammability standard for filled bed clothing, including comforters, mattress pads and pillows. There would be no requirement for health or environmental information about the chemicals and materials to be used.

Cancer Free Couches

TB117 Tag

California:
California’s unique flammability standard, Technical Bulletin 117 (TB117), requires household furniture and baby products (such as couches, nursing pillows, high chairs and strollers) to withstand a 12-second exposure to an open flame. Parents need to be educated that foam products with a label saying they meet TB117, usually contain halogenated flame retardants.

China Information Project

The Green Science Policy Institute (GSP) is educating government, industry, academics, press, and the Chinese public about human health and environmental impacts of using flame retardants and other untested halogenated chemicals.

Green Science Policy Institute Student Research and Policy Program

Purpose
The GSP Student Research and Policy Program provides science students an opportunity to conduct independent research with the potential to impact policy and to share their results with the public and decision makers. Participants will gain experience in research methods and science communication and will learn to think beyond the lab to use their research findings for the public good.

Components
-Students as a group collect samples, obtain and analyze data around a central research question

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Candle Standard for Electronics

Candle

Since 2002, the chemical industry has continued to promote unneeded international flammability standards for consumer electronic housings. GSP white papers contributed to stopping five such standards and prevented the use of hundreds of millions of pounds of flame retardants.

Midnight Memorial Cat Project

midnight

This project brings together veterinarians, epidemiologists, and toxicologists to study feline exposure to halogenated chemicals and potential health impacts. One objective is to study a possible relationship between exposure to halogenated chemicals and hyperthyroid disease in cats.

Non-Toxic Building Materials

Building Materials

Current Status: In Progress with Preliminary Successes Achieved

The Problem: Energy efficient insulation materials found in green buildings often contain toxic flame retardant chemicals. Polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, and polyurethane are energy efficient insulation materials whose use in green buildings is increasing. However, due to building flammability codes, flame retardant (FR) chemicals must be added. Most of these FRs have not been adequately evaluated for their impact on human health and the environment. When tested, many are found to be persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic. Some are carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive, neurological, thyroid, and/or developmental toxicants.

Safe Kids Campaign

Nursing Pillow

Status: In Progress

The Problem:
Because of California flammability standard TB117, toxic flame retardant chemicals are used in nursing pillows, strollers, infant carriers, basinets, and other baby products containing foam. Children and infants are most sensitive to the adverse health effects of this class of chemical toxins. Babies are born with these chemicals in their bodies and get a further dose from their mother's milk and exposure to baby products.

San Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants

The San Antonio Statement documents health hazards and lack of proven fire safety benefit from the use of brominated and chlorinated flame retardant chemicals in home furniture, baby products, and other consumer products. This consensus statement, to date signed by more than 210 scientists and physicians from 30 countries, was published in the December 2010 journal Environmental Health Perspective (EHP).

Sign on to the San Antonio Statement

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