Experts Demand Fire Safety Policy Change Over Health Impact Of Widely Used Flame Retardants

Leading environmental and health experts have called for a comprehensive review of UK fire safety legislation, with a focus on the environmental and health risks of modern chemical fire retardants.

The health risks of materials designed to improve fire safety have led experts to call for a range of new measures to reduce the risks.

Flame retardants are often used to slow or stop the spread of fire. They are used regularly in products ranging from sofas and textiles to building materials. However, hundreds of studies have reported harmful effects of these chemicals, many of which are bioaccumulative and linked to many health risks, including cancer, growth disabilities, and DNA damage.

The UK has one of the highest levels of flame retardant use in the world and we are all exposed to this risk in our daily lives. Extended shelves are found in a number of places, including homes, schools, offices, and cars. They are found in air and dust, in food and drinking water, as well as on indoor surfaces and textiles, where they can be ingested through skin contact. The authors add that this effect is particularly evident in young children who are crawling and picking up things.

They are also found in natural environments such as rivers, lakes, oceans, and sediments, as well as in fish, mammals, and birds.

This widespread use is due in part to flame tests, which are the focus of current fire safety regulations. Experts question whether these tests are effective in reducing fire risks and believe that the government's focus on these tests is leading to more flame retardants being added to products.

Experts say there is also "significant uncertainty" about the extent to which flame retardants contribute to fire safety, and that there is evidence that flame retardants increase the toxicity of smoke and fire.

Dr Paul Whaley, from Lancaster University and corresponding author of the statement, said: “There are long-standing concerns about the effectiveness of flame retardants and the associated health risks, which the UK government has never come to terms with. This must change. There must be a fair balance between disadvantages and advantages. Flame Retardants, which includes a full assessment of the efficacy of flame retardants as a fire safety measure, with particular attention to unintentional damage to UK fire safety policy.

An evidence-based call to action from a panel of 13 experts comes in the form of a new “Consensus on Reconciling Fire Safety with the Environmental and Health Effects of Chemical Flame Retardants,” published today (February 28) in the journal Environment . international .

The authors outline six steps that government must take urgently as part of a comprehensive review of the need for chemical fire retardants, including incentives to end their use.

Instead, the authors call for industry incentives to develop furniture and materials that are inherently less flammable.

They also call for the development of a labeling system to track the use of inhibitors so they can be identified and disposed of safely.

Their recommendations also include the need for a structured approach to fire safety, rather than a reductionist approach that relies on fire testing.

Professor Ruth Garside, from the University of Exeter, said: “The use of flame retardants is problematic throughout the life cycle and can increase smoke and toxicity in fires, even though they are designed to provide safety. Without a clear system. These materials are not properly disposed of and end up It's up to you in recycled products.

“There are a large number of people who die from fires due to inhalation of toxic fumes, so there is no time to review fire safety regulations. We call on the government to take immediate action for the health of all of us.”

UK furniture and fire safety regulations have been under revision since 2014, but no revised guidance has been formally proposed yet.

Professor Frank Kelly, from Imperial College London and co-author of the paper, said: "There is an understandable concern about relaxing existing fire safety regulations, particularly after tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire.

"However, it is imperative that the use of these chemicals and their effectiveness in preventing fires be balanced against the serious long-term effects on our health and environment."

Jamie Page, of Cancer Prevention and Education, said: “Fire safety is a complex and multidisciplinary issue, but the processes are largely dominated by industry. It is essential to consider well-founded objections to modern approaches. This requires broader and more transparent public consultation processes It brings together the opinions of various stakeholders.”

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