Blog Asks: "Why Flame Retardants in Furniture"

June 21, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Legal on June 22, 2010

Slate.com blogger Florence Williams is wondering why her sofa needs flame retardants.

In a Monday posting, Williams noted that upon opening a sofa she'd ordered online from home furnishings retailer Ikea she "was soon overcome by a sweet and pungent chemical smell."

She noted that since a lot of companies want to do business in California, they must meet that state's strict flame retardant rules for furniture.

"Because national furniture makers want to sell to Californians, we're all sitting on flame retardants whichever state we live in," Williams wrote. "Americans, and Californians especially, have the highest blood and milk levels of flame retardants of anyone in the world. By a lot. We'd be better off with furniture made from wool and goose down. But as of yet, Ikea isn't offering any."