Attack of the Killer Couch [VIDEO]

Posted by Adam Howard at 3:03 PM on September 9, 2007.

This clip was made by Agit-Pop and MOMS (Making Our Milk Safe) as part of their Killer Couch campaign. The KillerCouch.com campaign uses humor to convey a serious message: toxic fire retardant chemicals used to meet California's outdated furniture safety standards are poisoning the nation.

MOMS and Friends of the Earth are sponsoring legislation in California that will modernize our furniture standard and ban the most toxic types of fire retardant chemicals, brominated and chlorinated fire retardants (BFRs and CFRs) for use in furniture and bedding. The bill was inspired by the work of bio-physical chemist, Arlene Blum, whose work in the 1970s resulted in a ban on brominated and chlorinated tris for use in children's sleepwear.

Affordable, less toxic flame retardants are available. Alternatives include inherently flame resistant metals and woods, naturally flame resistant barriers, and additives including silicon, boric acid, and phosphates.

AB 706, The Crystal Golden-Jefferson Furniture Safety and Fire Prevention Act will provide the furniture industry with more options for creating affordable and even safer products and result in reduced workplace exposure to toxic chemicals for furniture industry workers and fire fighters.

Check out the video to your right for more.

Tagged as: health, toxins, schwarzenegger, public safety

Adam Howard is the editor of PEEK.