Temeri legate de substanțe chimice toxice ar putea duce la abrogarea legii irlandeze privind siguranța la incendiu a mobilierului

THE GOVERNMENT IS considering whether to scrap Irish fire-safety standards for household furniture that lead to the use of toxic flame-retardant chemicals.
The Department of Enterprise said the review was prompted by a report by the European Chemicals Agency on the latest science on aromatic brominated flame retardants.
This highlighted potential health hazards including carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption and reproductive toxicity. The chemicals are bioaccumulative in humans and wildlife, meaning they build up in tissue faster than they can be excreted, and are persistent in the environment.
Brominated flame retardants have been found in Irish women’s breastmilk.
These chemicals are used to comply with Ireland’s fire safety tests for upholstered furniture such as couches, armchairs and headboards, as well as for fillings for mattresses. Upholstered furniture is tested with an open flame in Ireland, which means heavy use of chemicals is needed to pass.
Swedish furniture giant Ikea told The Journal it welcomed the Irish government’s proposals to reduce “unnecessary over-reliance on chemical flame retardants” and it wants to see the legal framework updated “quickly”.
“Chemical flame retardants are increasingly recognised as problematic to human health, while there is evidence undermining their effectiveness in maintaining fire safety,” Ikea said, adding that “a better regime to balance both chemical safety, environmental impact, and fire safety is possible”.

Ireland an outlier
It’s the second time the government has reviewed the law in six years over health and environmental concerns.
Ireland’s regulations were drafted in the 1980s and 1990s when smoking was much more prevalent and smoke alarms were not in as widespread use as they are now.
Ireland is an outlier in the EU in setting fire safety regulations for household furniture that necessitate the use of chemicals for compliance.
The government review aims to establish whether Ireland should scrap its rules and default to the EU standard, which the Department of Enterprise has said represents a “viable” method for regulating furniture safety here. It would take into account product design, materials and the intended environment in which products are used.
The department told The Journal the current review is at an “advanced stage” and will be published shortly.
Copying the UK
Ireland’s regulations mimic those in the UK, although the UK recently removed baby products such as cot mattresses, car seats and carry-cots from the scope of its regulations on the basis that the fire safety benefits do not outweigh the risks posed to infants by chemical exposure.
The UK is also currently considering a total overhaul of its furniture fire safety rules, it announced this month.
Terry Edge, a former UK civil servant who campaigns against the use of flame retardants in furniture, said consumer awareness of the problem is hampered by the fact