Members of our community who care about the health of our children, families and firefighters are grateful to Newton’s State Senator Cynthia Creem for filing “The Children and Firefighters Protection Act”, a bill that would ban toxic flame retardants.
For forty years, three chemical companies and the tobacco industry made false claims that chemical flame retardants would stop fires in furniture and many children’s products. In fact, the way these chemicals were used, they do nothing to protect us from fires. Instead, these dangerous flame retardants can damage the endocrine, immune, reproductive, and nervous systems and are linked to increased rates of cancer.
Senator Creem’s bill would protect children, families and firefighters from toxic flame retardants by banning these chemicals from products sold in Massachusetts.
In September, Rhode Island’s House of Representatives passed a measure that would prohibit the sale of children’s products and household furniture containing common flame retardant chemicals. In August, Maine passed a similar bill by overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate. These bills, which had broad, bipartisan support, set a national precedent for the protection of public health and especially our children and firefighters.
Our legislature needs to act now. Thank you Senator Creem, for your continued dedication to the health and well being of our Commonwealth and our communities.
Marcia Cooper, President, Green Newton
Ellie Goldberg, Advisory Committee, Green Newton
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