Action Alert: Help LULAC Urge U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to Ban Products Containing Toxic Flame Retardant Chemicals

October 14, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Action Alert: Help LULAC urge U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban products containing toxic flame retardant chemicals.

Earlier this year, LULAC joined a coalition of health, first responders, consumer, and science groups to request that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ban certain toxins from consumer products. Specifically, the coalition requested that a class of toxic flame retardants called organohalogen, be removed from consumer products. The coalition asserts that these particular toxins have caused serious health problems, and pose particular risks for communities of color, especially children. Exposure to toxic flame retardant chemicals is associated with a range of serious health conditions, including: reproductive impairment; decreased IQ in children, impaired memory, learning deficits, hyperactivity, genotoxicity, cancer, and immune disorders.

Thanks to these collective efforts, the CPSC has accepted the petition and is seeking public comment until October 19, 2015. Given the impact of these chemicals on Latino communities, it is crucial that LULAC members are an integral part of this process.

Action Alert: Help LULAC urge the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban products containing toxic flame retardant chemicals.

The comment deadline is right around the corner and our voice is needed. Comments must be submitted by midnight on October 19, 2015.

CLICK HERE to send your letter to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and demand action.

Copy and paste the text found below into the comment box:

Todd Stevenson, Office of the Secretary
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway, Room 820
Bethesda, MD 20814

Re: Comments on Petition for Rulemaking on Products Containing Organohalogen Flame Retardants, Docket No. CPSC-2015-0022

Dear Mr. Stevenson:

As a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, I write in strong support of the petition to ban consumer products containing organohalogen flame retardants.

I am very concerned that the use of toxic flame retardants in consumer products is placing my family at risk for serious health problems such as reduced IQ, cancer, reproductive impairments, and more. I do not want these chemicals in my home or in the products I purchase.

We are alarmed to know that levels of toxic flame retardant chemicals have been found in young children from communities of color and low-income communities. We must prevent exposing our children to a toxic chemical that threatens their development and God given potential.

There is serious doubt regarding the use of flame retardants in consumer products to prevent fires. In fact, the burning of household products with flame retardants produces increased smoke, soot, and toxic gases, putting residents and firefighters at greater risk of harm in the event of a fire.

Please take the steps necessary to protect my family and my community. The solution is simple: ban consumer products containing organohalogen flame retardants!

Sincerely,