Podcasts & Videos

The award-winning 2012 Chicago Tribune investigative ‘Playing With Fire’ Toxic Hot Seat threads together an intricate story of manipulation that details how Big Tobacco skilfully convinced fire safety officials to back a standard that, in effect, requires all furniture to be filled with toxic flame retardants.

MP Mary Creagh is the chair of a parliamentary inquiry into toxic chemicals in the home with growing concerns about the use of flame retardants in mattresses and sofas. She has recently released a podcast on the subject titled "Emergency on Planet Earth", which you can hear below.

Here is an interesting video by Arlene Blum and the Green Science Policy Institute with a good introduction into the world of Fire Retardants. It is also worth mentioning that in the USA flame retardants are used in the fillings, but not the outer cover material. Here in the UK we use far greater amounts in our furniture.

The Canadian Broadcasting Company released this programme after concerns about flame retardants. Television and media in Canada and America can speak openly about the problems about FR's. It begs the question why doesn't UK television and media inform the British public. As a country Britain has one of the highest levels of FR's in the home.