Flammability Updates & News

CPSC proposes new open-flame standard; Bedclothes standard not far behind; N.J. proposes strict mattress standard

CPSC proposes new national open-flame standard

On Dec. 21, 2004, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission proposed an open-flame mattress flammability standard that is close to the California TB 603 standard in many respects—including TB 603’s 30-minute test parameter. A public hearing on this proposal was held on March 3. Written comments on this proposed standard are to be received by the CPSC by March 29. Read the text of the draft here.

Comments should be headed with the notation “Mattress NPR.” Comments can be sent by email to cpsc-os@cpsc.gov, or faxed to (301) 504-0127, or mailed (in five copies) to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207-0001. Comments can also be delivered to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland; telephone (301) 504-7530.

For further information, contact Margaret Neily, Directorate for Engineering Sciences, CPSC; telephone (301) 504-7530.

CPSC also readies proposal for nat’l bedclothes flame standard

On Dec. 22, 2004, the CPSC elected to issue an Advance Notice for Proposed Rulemaking on a separate national standard for bedclothes, citing bedclothes as a significant factor in the start of many house fires. The Commission’s considerations, including thoughts on a possible standard, can be found on the CPSC website

While the initial public comment period of this stage of the standard’s development closed on March 14, there are further steps to be taken before a Proposed Rulemaking is decided upon. An Advance Notice is a preliminary step in the process, to gather initial input from industry and other interested parties. For further information, contact Margaret Neily at the contact numbers given above.

Poly foam manufacturers phase out pbdes

Recently, Mr. Bob Luedeka, Executive Director of the Polyurethane Foam Association, informed me by email that the manufacturing members of the PFA have all but completely replaced the controversial pentabrominateddiphenylether-based (pBDE) fire-retardant in their products. For more than 25 years, pBDE additives have been the predominate fire retardant used to help meet the requirements of the California Technical Bulletin 117 flammability standard.

In a January 15, 2005, press release, PFA President Vincent Bonaddio stated, “Working together with FPF manufacturers, the suppliers were able to commercialize a handful of possible substitutes that could be evaluated by FPF manufacturers. In many cases, finding an alternative combustion modification technology for a particular foam product was a very challenging process. Converting from pBDE materials essentially required a complete reformulation of our entire combustion modified product line.”

Also, the release cited statistics taken from a recent poll of PFA manufacturing members, indicating that more than 98 percent of previous pBDE-based combustion modified product lines now are pBDE-free formulations.

Executive Director Luedeka is quoted as saying, “With the exception of a handful of specialty products and a small quantity of traditional cushioning products manufactured to customer specification, PFA members have successfully engineered solutions and now have alternative pBDE-free products for almost all combustion modified FPF densities and firmness to meet current flammability requirements.”

Contact information for the Polyurethane Foam Association is: telephone 865-690-4648; fax 865-690-4649; email rluedeka@pfa.org.
 

Safety as selling point for consumers

I read an interview (in the Jan. 28 issue of Furniture/Today) with Stephan Tanda, President and CEO of Freudenburg Nonwovens, a supplier of fire-resistant bedding products based in Durham, N.C. The interview was a discussion of the marketing arena in this era of new flammability legislation.

This began my own train of thought, hearkening back over my own career of selling everything from magazine articles to books to memberships to lighting fixtures. The one thing my own experiences in sales had in common was that all sales were based on the benefit to the customer of the item or service I was selling.

Mattresses and bedding have many easily recognizable benefits, but at the top of the list is comfort. You need comfort for a good night’s sleep. Comfort, of course, is a function of feel and support. It is also a function of the customer’s own sense of well being.

In today’s very safety-conscious atmosphere, a sense of well being is premier. Cars are being sold with a million built-in gimmicks, and at the top of the gimmick list are satellite-based global positioning systems, adding to the owner’s sense of security. Homes are regularly sold with built-in security systems, and building codes are more stringent than ever in ensuring that fires and other accidents do not exact as great a toll as they have in the past. We live in a society where safety and security are the buzzwords of the day.

People feel, deep in their hearts, that they do not need the extra worries broadcast at them by the media every day—about boarding an airliner, about the safety of their cars or about the beds they and their children sleep in.

We are now in the position to assure our customers that beds and bedding are the least of their worries. We can now offer our customers double comfort—comfort of body and peace of mind. While some may complain about the new flammability regulations, this could be the best sales age ever. Again, safety and security are the hottest new selling points in the market today. Thus, the new regulations not only put our industry in a position to promote the good news about the safety of our products, but also enable us to offer our customers the most truly comforting sleep products they have ever bought.

Children’s Coalition awards certificate for safety

The Children's Coalition for Fire Safe Mattresses, whose lobbying efforts stimulated the establishment of California Technical Bulletin 603, is offering a Seal of Commendation for manufacturers, retailers and suppliers whose products the Coalition approves as safe.

This news was disseminated during a February 16 press conference, held on the steps of the California Capitol building in Sacramento. Citing the obvious commercial appeal of such a safety seal of approval, Coalition Director Whitney Davis said that the Coalition already has 15 applications from mattress businesses for the seal.

Davis also expressed the Coalition’s dismay that some manufacturers are skirting the recently enacted California TB 603 legislation by using fire-retardant applications that lose their effectiveness in the long run.

Davis further detailed his organization’s concerns by citing particular chemicals certain companies have used to achieve short-term positive flammability test results. His group is especially concerned with the fire-retardant chemical ammonium polyphosphate.
Indicating that the average mattress life is 10 years, Davis said that the Coalition’s desire is that manufacturers use FR materials that are not only nontoxic, but also effective for the full 10-year use-life of the mattress.

Contact information for the Children's Coalition for Fire Safe Mattresses is: telephone (916) 448-9000; or email Whitney Davis at whitneydavis@mindspring.com.

New Jersey moves on state mattress standard

On Feb. 25, 2000, a 14-month-old child named Matthew Albrecht perished in a
house fire that started when an electrical outlet shorted out, igniting a mattress. This led to a legislative movement to establish a New Jersey state flammability law for mattresses.

As of Oct. 14, 2004, NJ Senate Bill 1707 and Assembly Bill 3056 have been promulgated to bring into law what has been officially named the “Matthew Albrecht Act.” SB 1707 has been sponsored by Senator Anthony R. Bucco, of District 25, Morris, New Jersey; and Senator John A. Girgenti, of District 35, Bergen and Passaic. Assembly Bill 3056 has been sponsored by Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, of District 24, Sussex, Hunterdon and Morris; and Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, of District 19, Middlesex.

These bills aim at establishing a state standard such that mattresses sold in New Jersey would have to pass a 60-minute open-flame test, using the testing method and pass/fail criteria otherwise provided by California TB 603. While commentary on the legislation recognizes the 30-minute duration of the California TB 603 test, and the Proposed CPSC National standard, these bills are aimed at being especially stringent.

On Oct. 14, 2004, Robert Polk, on behalf of National Association of State Fire Marshals, read a statement lauding the industry for its proactive stance in regard to flammability regulations. The statement also supported the New Jersey-proposed 60-minute test duration, essentially saying that the very young and the elderly are more vulnerable in these situations, and thus a bigger window of safety is needed.

The International Sleep Products Association has taken up the challenge and is working with the New Jersey legislature in an attempt to ameliorate what could be a very confusing situation, given that we have already been presented with a proposed national standard based on the 30-minute test period.

More information on these bills can be obtained here.

FL