New California Furniture Flammability Standard Takes Effect

摘要

California has adopted a new flammability standard designed to discourage the use of flame retardant chemicals in upholstered residential furniture. The new law, Technical Bulletin (TB) 117-2013, revises the earlier TB 117 by replacing the standard's open flame test with a smolder test that regulators believe can be met without using flame retardant chemicals. As of January 1, 2014, manufacturers may begin manufacturing to the new standards, or wait until Jan. 1,2015 when compliance will be required. California, the only state with a flammability standard for furniture, first implemented TB 117 in 1975. It has become the de facto national standard in the absence of a rule from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which has been toiling away on a federal version since 1993. Today, some 80% of furniture sold in the U.S. meets TB 117 guidelines.