When buying children’s toys, furniture and personal care products, we don’t always know that many of our options are loaded with toxic chemicals. Unsafe chemicals cause health risks and damage trust between businesses and their customers and businesses.
From Walmart to Anchorage’s own Mattress Firm, businesses have pledged to eliminate inventory containing flame-retardant chemicals, which cause poor neurodevelopment in children and especially high rates of cancer for firefighters, as well as many other health problems.
Now, Alaska Community Action on Toxics is working with the Anchorage Assembly to ban flame-retardant chemicals. And House Bill 27 hopes to do the same for the entire state.
To avoid flame-retardants, consumers can look at the product’s tags or ask manufacturers or sellers, who should also be able to provide that information.
— Veri di Suvero
Executive director, Alaska Public Interest Research Group
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.