Sacramento, CA – The academic journal Science today published a commentary by Arlene Blum, Ph.D., a noted biophysical chemist whose fire retardant research led to the removal of mutagenic and carcinogenic fire retardants from children’s sleepwear in the 1970’s. Dr. Blum’s commentary embraces the first of a kind approach to chemical regulation in Assemblyman Mark Leno’s AB 706 which addresses the toxicity of a class of chemicals rather than banning one toxic chemical at a time.
“In California, Assemblyman Mark Leno introduced AB 706, a bill that authorizes the state to consider human health and environmental impacts as well as fire safety when regulating flammability,” said Dr. Blum in her commentary. “This bill would prohibit the most toxic classes of chemicals in furniture, mattresses, and bed clothing (unless the manufacturer can establish their safety) and stop the cycle of replacing one toxic fire retardant with another.”
Brominated and chlorinated fire retardants, which studies have shown to have serious health impacts including cancer, reproductive difficulties, and neurological problems, are virtually impossible to avoid and have been found to be building up in our bodies.
“Substances removed from children’s pajamas in the 1970’s because they change DNA and cause cancer, are today being added to furniture cushions to comply with outdated California law,” said Assemblyman Leno. “AB 706 would change our outdated furniture fire safety standards to utilize greener chemicals and better construction methods to deliver equivalent or better fire safety without the use of toxic brominated and chlorinated fire retardants.”
The Science commentary highlights that brominated flame retardants called PBDEs are not only structurally similar to the human toxicants PCBs, PBBs, dioxins, and furans, they also have similar mechanisms of toxicity in animal studies, bioaccumulate, and persist in humans and animals.
Dr. Blum concludes the commentary with a maxim for flammability regulation, “Fire retardant chemicals in our homes should not pose a greater hazard to our health and environment than the risk of the fires they are supposed to prevent.” AB 706 is sponsored by Friends of the Earth, Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS), and is currently on the Senate Floor and will be reconsidered in 2008.
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
