Today, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) is leading a group of 23 Senators in calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate whether flame retardant chemicals found in everyday household products put Americans’ health at risk.

Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Studies have found toxic flame retardant chemicals in a number of everyday household products, such as furniture, electronics, and even children’s products.  Most recently, a study released by the Center for Environmental Health found these chemicals, including Chlorinated Tris, which was banned from children’s pajamas in the 1970s, in children’s nap mats, meaning the toxin is present in day-cares and homes across the country.

“These studies demonstrate that Americans, and particularly children, continue to be exposed to toxic flame retardant chemicals on a daily basis in their homes,” the Senators wrote in a letter to EPA’s acting Administrator. “This is a serious public health concern that requires a risk assessment by EPA.”

The Senators are urging the EPA to use all of its available tools to evaluate the risks associated with flame retardant chemicals, while continuing to work with Congress to modernize and reform the Toxic Substances Control Act.

 

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