Senate Bill S7265

                                BILL NUMBER:S7265

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in
relation to chemicals in nap mats

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: Prohibits the sale of nap mats
containing halogenated chemical flame retardants in the state of New
York.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 provides definitions for chemical flame retardants and nap
mats. This section further prohibits the sale of nap mats containing
halogenated chemical flame retardants in the state of New York.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:  A recent study conducted by California's Center for
Environmental Health found chemical flame retardants in an alarming
number of nap mats on the market in California. This is despite the
fact that nap mats have never been identified as an ignition source
for fires. What is more, the United States Department of Commerce,
National Bureau of Standards has found that there are no significant
differences in fire resistance between treated and untreated
polyurethane foams.  Recognizing this and the fact that most home
fires are caused by cigarettes, California has adopted a new "smolder
              

standard" for upholstered furniture that would not require
manufacturers to use chemical flame retardants.

Chemical flame retardants migrate out of furniture - including nap
mats - and into house-hold dust. Because of their tendency to put
items in their mouth, toddlers typically have three times the level of
flame retardants as their parents. This exposure is on top of what
babies are born with.  An article in the Chicago Tribune stated "A
typical American baby is born with the highest recorded concentrations
of flame retardants among infants in the world."

Many flame retardants, most notably halogenated chemical retardants,
have been associated with adverse health impacts. For example, the
Consumer Product Safety Commission identified the flame retardant Tris
as a threat to human health, and California has identified Tris as a
suspected human carcinogen. In addition, when combusted, chemical
flame retardants can also form harmful by-products with the potential
to affect the health of firefighters adversely. A recent study in San
Francisco found that firefighters had two to three times the rate of
flame retardants in their blood stream than average and found that the
110 female firefighters in the study experienced a risk of breast
cancer that was nearly six times higher than the general population.

In addition, there is precedent for banning dangerous flame
retardants. New York State has previously banned the use of the
brominated flame retardant PentaBDE, and banned the use of Tris (TCEP)
in children's products.

Because chemical flame retardants have significant health concerns and
do not prevent fires, they should not be used in children's sleeping
pads. Accordingly, this bill would prohibit the sale of nap mats that


contain these unnecessary chemical, while providing retailers time to
sell through any existing inventory they may have that is noncompliant
with the provisions of this bill.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None to New York State.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect January 1, 2016.