New York bans sale of products containing harmful flame retardant chemicals

Albany, New York – As Gov. Hochul signed the Family and Fire Prevention Act on Friday, the sale of products with harmful flame retardant chemicals in them, is now officially banned in New York State.

The bill bans the sale of products with toxic chemicals used as fire retardants like furniture, mattresses, and more.

These hazardous materials were first put into products to help slow down a fire; but over the year they’ve been shown they aren’t as effective and lead to multiple health issues, especially for first responders.

Firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population, according to the CDC and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.

They’ve been pushing for this legislation for nearly a decade, the Firemen’s Association of New York (FASNY) said.

New York is the first to ban fire retardants on technology products like laptops, tablets, and TVs.

According to D’Alessandro, he hopes will inspire other states to pursue similar legislation.

For companies who don’t comply there is a fine of up to $2,500 per day for repeated offenses.

There were only two legislators in opposition of the bill, Assemblymen Chris Friend, and Will Barclay.