Are flame retardants necessary for furniture? Acting in response to the association of flame retardants with cancer, reproductive, developmental and other adverse health effects, Kaiser Permanente announced it will no longer buy furniture containing such chemicals. The move, facilitated by California’s new furniture flammability standard (TB 117-2013), may well catalyze the elimination of unnecessary flame retardants. With furniture purchases of $30 million a year and a leader in the 1,000-hospital Healthier Hospitals Initiative, Kaiser Permanente has the power to move the market to safer alternatives for fire-safe furniture.
