Food / Product Safety

CFC supports AB 127 (Skinner), which would reduce the use of flame retardant chemicals in building insulation while maintaining building fire safety and encouraging healthy building practices.

California regulators held a public hearing on March 26 to mark the end of a comment period for updating their 38-year old furniture flammability regulation, TB 117, that has been the focus of scientists, firefighters, health advocates and consumers worldwide.

The regulations were sought by CFC and other groups to protect consumers from physical and financial harm caused by defective or inferior aftermarket parts and to enhance insurer accountability in the claims process.

After five years of resistance from chemical manufacturers, we scored a breakthrough in the fight to remove toxics from furniture sold in California.

We applaud Governor Brown's call for state regulators to revise an antiquated furniture fire safety standard that has exposed millions to dangerous levels of toxic flame retardant chemicals.

Californians are exposed to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in our homes, thanks to a 37-year-old state furniture regulation. While the regulation never served its intended goal of reducing fires in our homes, its legacy of toxic harm lives on.

Because private data providers are not subject to regulation like the NMVTIS is, this bill opens the door for inaccurate information to be provided to consumers with impunity. SB 990 will be categorically unsafe for consumers.

High-polluting vehicles emit more than 50 percent of the vehicle pollution, being a significant contributor to the smog that exists in our cities. SB 901 (Steinberg) will help reduce smog, stimulate auto sales, and provide critical assistance to consumers.

Consumers deserve access to food that will nourish their bodies as it is intended to do. AB 727 (Mitchell) will ensure that vending machines in state-owned or leased buildings provide food that is nutritionally adequate nutrition by 2014 and in all vending machines in the state by 2016.

Halogenated fire retardants have been linked to endocrine disruption, neurological and developmental impairments, cancer, reduced IQ, learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, infertility, and a host of other health disorders.

AB 1512 would prohibit a retailer from selling infant formula or baby food after the printed "use by" date that is required under federal law. This bill also prohibits retailers from selling over the counter drugs after the printed expiration date that is required under federal law.

California is the only state in the nation that maintains a standard (TB 117) requiring the use of fire retardant chemicals in the polyurethane foam contained in juvenile products. Read CFC's three fact sheets on why this law should be changed.

CFC was an outspoken proponent of SB 1420...The new law is much more than just an effort to reduce obesity and heart disease – it’s about giving consumers the right to know what they’re putting in their bodies.

One recent study found that the dust in California homes had 4 to 10 times higher levels of PDBEs than other states, and 200 times higher level compared to homes in the European Union.

Three important consumer protection laws – which CFC vigorously supported - went into effect on January 1, 2009, and new bills to protect the health of consumers are being prepared for the upcoming legislative year.

Some progress has been made, but there are a woefully inadequate number of locations to allow for easy and convenient TV recycling for most consumers.

San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Mark Leno's AB 706, a bill that sought to remove toxic fire retardants from California furniture and maintain fire safety, was just voted down by the state Senate. Manufacturers of fire retardants -- Chemtura Corp., Albemarle Corp. and Israel Chemicals Ltd. -- spent millions on lobbying to stop it.

The Consumer Federation of California strongly supported SB 1313 (Corbett) because it would ban perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA) in food packaging...

Food packaging with certain grease-proof coatings contains compounds that break down into toxic chemicals...SB 1313 prohibits the use of food packaging materials that contain these toxic chemicals and new toxic alternatives that could replace them.

While there have been many cases where groundwater contamination has occurred with both oil production and fracking methods, oil producers' settlements have included gag orders silencing whistleblowers who might warn the public of fracking dangers.

More than 150 countries have agreed to phase out the use of the toxic flame retardant chemical HBCD and restrict trade in four other dangerous substances.

He says unscrupulous lawyers are misusing the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, or Proposition 65, by seeking monetary gain from lawsuits.

Unless it's smothered in caramel or part of a sugary pie, we can't think of many times when an apple isn't good for you. But the ever-nutritious fruit once again tops a bad-news list that might make you consider it in a different light.

One simple label to identify GMO foods (often using the genes of foreign bacteria and viruses) would lead more consumers to seek out non-GMO alternatives. That is why Monsanto is fighting labeling.

Proposed changes to the federal used-car buyers guide have stirred disagreements over whether the wording reduces protection for consumers.

Jim Doucette served the Sacramento Fire Department for more than 30 years, and he understood the perils of the job when he accepted it. But there was one hazard he did not anticipate: the effects of burning toxic chemicals embedded in furniture.

California officials vowed to move forward on a new fire safety rule that could eliminate the use of toxic flame retardants in household furniture and baby products sold nationwide.

Several U.S. grocery chains have agreed not to sell a genetically engineered salmon that is nearing approval from the FDA.

Policymakers, industry leaders and consumer advocates are battling over which chemicals should be allowed as they seek a balance between fire-safe products and a toxic-free environment.

Buying a used car can be a great money saver, but in a hidden-camera investigation, Jeff Rossen with NBC discovered some dealers are selling cars that may have dangerous safety flaws.

Consumers will see little, if any, savings. But there will be less of one unnecessary and likely toxic chemical in the environment. That will be a welcome step forward.

FDA's analysis fails to consider the risks these fish could pose to our natural environment, said an Earthjustice attorney. If they mix with wild salmon, the ecological harm could be devastating.

An Oakland watchdog group said it is suing manufacturers and retailers, including Target and Amazon.com, for selling nap mats made with a toxic flame retardant that is a known carcinogen.

California minors are already banned from using their smartphones behind the wheel, even with a hands-free device. New legislation would expand those rules to include their use of new technology while driving.

The new draft is to improve fire safety while reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Smoldering objects, rather than open flames, are the biggest source of household fires.

New regulations to remove toxic chemicals from furniture have been released - let's show regulators and Gov Brown that Californians support a modern, scientific standard that puts health first!

California proposed regulations on Friday that would set new flammability standards and allow furniture and some children's product manufacturers to stop using chemical flame retardants.

Richard Holober: "...We are pleased Gov Brown has taken the important step forward to transform an obsolete regulation which follows the advice of safety experts, not chemical manufacturers."

The new draft is in response to a directive issued by Brown to improve fire safety while reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Smoldering objects such as cigarettes, heaters, and extension cords, rather than open flames, are the biggest source of household fires.