[Support of Ordinance to Ban the Sale in San Francisco of Furniture and Certain Juvenile Products Containing Flame Retardant Chemicals, File No. 170867]
Resolution urging the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to adopt File Number 170867, an Ordinance amending the Environment Code to ban the sale in San Francisco of upholstered furniture and juvenile products made with or containing an added flame retardant chemical.
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco has a duty to protect the natural environment, the economy, and the health of its citizens; and,
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco is guided by the Precautionary Principle Ordinance which requires the City to minimize harm by using the best available science to make policy choices; and,
WHEREAS, Many flame retardant chemicals resist environmental degradation, are capable of being transported long distances, and have been detected in the atmosphere, seawater, freshwater, sediments, and a variety of wildlife; and,
WHEREAS, Many flame retardant chemicals are known human health hazards and some are linked to cancer, obesity, birth defects and other reproductive harm; and,
WHEREAS, For decades, flame retardant chemicals have been routinely used in upholstered furniture and certain juvenile products to meet a California flammability standard known as Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117); and,
WHEREAS, Children living in California have some of the highest documented blood concentrations of a certain flame retardant chemical of any population studied; and,
WHEREAS, Firefighters have elevated rates of certain cancers and are at particular risk for exposure to flame retardants via inhalation and ingestion of smoke, dust, and debris from household products and insulation containing flame retardants; and,
WHEREAS, In 2013, the State of California updated its flammability standard, Technical Bulletin 117-2013, for upholstered furniture, which no longer necessitates the use of chemical flame retardants in upholstered furniture and exempts certain juvenile products from meeting the new flammability standard; and,
WHEREAS, In 2014, California enacted Senate Bill 1019, requiring manufacturers of products covered by Technical Bulletin 117-2013 to affix a label to each item disclosing whether the item contains or does not contain flame retardant chemical(s); and,
WHEREAS, While flame retardant chemicals are no longer needed to meet state flammability standards, some manufacturers of furniture and juvenile products continue to add flame retardant chemicals to their products; and,
WHEREAS, Since 2015, the Department of the Environment has conducted outreach and provided technical assistance to retailers of upholstered furniture, encouraging them to sell furniture that is labeled as not containing chemical flame retardants; and,
WHEREAS, Approximately 50 independent and chain retailers in San Francisco have pledged to and now sell a range of upholstered furniture items that are free of flame retardant chemicals at a variety of price points; and,
WHEREAS, San Francisco can play a pivotal role in mitigating exposure to flame retardants and their adverse effects on people and animals in the City; now, therefore, be it,
RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment urges the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to adopt File Number 170867, an ordinance to ban the sale in San Francisco of upholstered furniture and certain juvenile products made with or containing an added flame retardant chemical; and, be it,
FUTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment recognizes that the ordinance to ban the sale in San Francisco of upholstered furniture and certain juvenile products made with or containing an added flame retardant chemical will help the City and County of San Francisco reduce releases of chemical flame retardants to the environment and exposures to all San Franciscans, especially the most vulnerable populations such as children and firefighters.
I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Commission on the Environment’s Meeting on October 10, 2017.
_______________________________
Anthony Valdez, Commission Secretary
Vote: 4-0 Approved
Ayes: Commissioners Ahn, Hoyos, Stephenson and Wan.
Noes: None
Absent: Commissioners Bermejo and Wald.