CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 872-4600 or (800) 227-5558 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: A. Maureen Rouhi MANAGING EDITOR: Robin M. Giroux SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER: Marvel A. Wills NEWS William G. Schulz, Editor BUSINESS Michael McCoy, Assistant Managing Editor NORTHEAST: (732) 906-8300 Melody M. Bomgardner (Senior Editor), Lisa M. Jarvis (Senior Editor), Rick Mullin (Senior Editor), Marc S. Reisch (Senior Correspondent), Alexander H. Tullo (Senior Correspondent), Rachel Eskenazi (Administrative Assistant). HONG KONG: 852 9093 8445 Jean‑François Tremblay (Senior Correspondent). HOUSTON: (281) 486-3900 Ann M. Thayer (Senior Correspondent). LONDON: 44 1494 564 316 Alex Scott (Senior Editor) GOVERNMENT & POLICY Susan R. Morrissey, Assistant Managing Editor Britt E. Erickson (Senior Editor), Glenn Hess (Senior Editor), Cheryl Hogue (Senior Correspondent), Jeff Johnson (Senior Correspondent), Andrea L. Widener (Associate Editor) SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION BOSTON: (617) 395-4163 Amanda Yarnell, Assistant Managing Editor. WASHINGTON: Stuart A. Borman (Deputy Assistant Managing Editor), Celia Henry Arnaud (Senior Editor), Carmen Drahl (Senior Editor), Stephen K. Ritter (Senior Correspondent), Lauren K. Wolf (Associate Editor). BERLIN: 49 30 2123 3740 Sarah Everts (Senior Editor). CHICAGO: (847) 679-1156 Mitch Jacoby (Senior Correspondent). NORTHEAST: (732) 906-8302 Bethany Halford (Senior Editor). WEST COAST: (925) 4851034 Jyllian Kemsley (Senior Editor), (206) 595-4788 Deirdre Lockwood (Contributing Editor), (510) 390-6180 Elizabeth K. Wilson (Senior Editor). JOURNAL NEWS & COMMUNITY: (202) 872-6039 Lila Guterman (Senior Editor), (626) 765-6767 Michael Torrice (Associate Editor) ACS NEWS & SPECIAL FEATURES Sophie L. Rovner, Assistant Managing Editor Linda Wang (Senior Editor). DALLAS: (972) 529-4351 Susan J. Ainsworth (Senior Editor) EDITING & PRODUCTION Kimberly R. Twambly, Assistant Managing Editor Craig Bettenhausen (Assistant Editor), Emily Bones (Assistant Editor), Sophia L. Cai (Assistant Editor), Nader Heidari (Assistant Editor), Arlene Goldberg-Gist, Senior Editor Jeff A. Huber (Assistant Editor), Gail M. Mortenson (Associate Editor) ART & DESIGN Robert Bryson, Design Director Robin L. Braverman (Senior Art Director) Yang H. Ku (Associate Designer) C&EN ONLINE Rachel Sheremeta Pepling, Editor Tchad K. Blair (Visual Designer), Luis A. Carrillo (Production Manager), Ty A. Finocchiaro (Web Associate), Pamela Rigden Snead (Web Products Manager) PRODUCTION & IMAGING Renee L. Zerby, Manager Production & Classifieds Tim Bauer (Lead Digital Production Specialist), Shelly E. Savage, Richard C. Smith, and Steven J. Lovasz (Digital Production Associates) SALES & MARKETING Elaine Facciolli Jarrett (Marketing Manager) Wendy Wise (Marketing Manager) Angela Yeo (Associate Marketing Manager) ADVISORY BOARD Gary D. Allred, Paul T. Anastas, Sherwood L. Boehlert, Paul J. Bracher, Jean-Claude Bradley, Yves J. Chabal, Seth M. Cohen, Kendrew H. Colton, Brian D. Coppola, Christopher C. Cummins, Joseph M. DeSimone, Michelle M. Francl, Donald Hilvert, Malika Jeffries-El, Rohit Khanna, John LaMattina, Abraham M. Lenhoff, Scott P. Lockledge, Derek Lowe,Michael W. Major, Michael A. Marletta, Cheryl A. Martin, Harold Meckler, Stephen A. Munk, Michael O. Okoroafor, Nick Roelofs, Melanie Sanford, John M. Schwab, Francis X. Sherman, Michael Strem, Linette M. Watkins, Christopher Welch, Frank D. Wicks, Vicki Wysocki, David Zimmermann, Dorothy Zolandz Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director & CEO Brian Crawford, President, Publications Division EDITORIAL BOARD: Ned D. Heindel (Chair); ACS Board of Directors Chair: William F. Carroll Jr.; ACS President: Bassam Z. Shakhashiri; Stephanie L. Brock, John N. Russell Jr., Leah Solla, Peter J. Stang Copyright 2012, American Chemical Society Canadian GST Reg. No. R127571347 Volume 90, Number 44
F ROM THE EDITOR
Chemophobia And Fire Safety THE FUROR over flame retardants that pre-
occupied the public last spring held C&EN’s attention, too. These chemicals are in most homes; they are required for safety reasons. A series in the Chicago Tribune damned the chemicals, alleging that they don’t impede fires and are hazardous to human health. The Tribune also decried—appropriately, I should add—the deceptive tactics of some makers of flame-retardant chemicals. Unsurprisingly, the series fueled the general public’s chemophobic predilection. At C&EN, we try to bring a distinctly chemistry perspective to events covered by mainstream media. Our inquiry about the efficacy and safety of flame-retardant chemicals appears as three stories in this issue. News Editor William Schulz untangles the arguments in the debate surrounding the draft revision of California’s fire-safety standard for upholstered furniture, which will affect the need for flame-retardant chemicals in furniture fabrics and foam (see page 28). Senior Correspondent Cheryl Hogue details the current and planned actions of the Environmental Protection Agency to scrutinize the chemicals (see page 34). And Senior Correspondent Alex Tullo examines how makers of flameretardant chemicals are developing safer alternatives to their current products (see page 39). In fact, California and the European Union have banned some flame-retardant chemicals because they pose unacceptable risks. And EPA is assessing many others for possible regulation. What C&EN’s stories demonstrate, however, is the difficulty of weighing the risks and benefits of chemicals in commerce and how that is exacerbated by insufficient data on safety, different interpretations of efficacy, and the public’s tendency to accept without question chemophobic pronouncements by media-savvy activists. We should all pay attention to the draft revision of California Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117), California’s fire-safety standard for upholstered furniture. As Schulz writes, “TB 117 has become the de facto national standard. If California substantially alters or weakens [that] standard … then the same will apply nationwide.” Proponents of the draft revision want to
require the components of furniture sold in California to pass only the cigarette smolder test of the current two-part test, which includes an open-flame challenge. Because furniture makers can use barrier materials to pass a smolder-only challenge, they say that use of flame-retardant chemicals would be unnecessary and should be stopped in light of health and environmental concerns. Fire-safety experts tell Schulz, however, that the open-flame challenge is “an absolute necessity,” noting that candles, matches, and cigarette lighters are also significant causes of furniture fires. I am terrified of fires. Growing up, I witnessed two conflagrations so close to home that each time my family had to evacuate. I am for strong fire-safety standards and for furniture makers to have access to all reasonable means to ensure that their products meet stringent requirements. Many fire-safety experts Schulz interviewed say “tough fire-safety standards force innovation.” And as Tullo reports, the chemical industry has been innovating with alternative flame-retardant chemicals for more than a decade now. The technology that is gaining acceptance is polymeric molecules, developed by producers of flame retardants as well as by Dow Chemical, a consumer of the chemicals. I support EPA’s moves to review the risks posed by chemicals in commerce and to regulate particular substances if the scientific assessment demands it. As Hogue explains, EPA is assessing flame-retardant chemicals, and as a result of its reviews, the agency may decide to restrict certain substances. EPA, however, must support its decisions with cost-benefit analyses. Chemical producers should be transparent and make data available about their products’ efficacy, hazard, and toxicity. Only with sound science can we make the objective cost-benefit analyses needed for informed decisions. Only with unassailable data can we even begin to respond to the shrill voices of chemophobia that threaten to undermine fire safety.
Editor-in-chief
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS. WWW.CEN-ONLIN E .ORG
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