Date: | 02/17/2021 |
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Organization: | Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection |
Referenced Sources: | An Act to Protect Children, Families, and Firefighters from Harmful Flame Retardants |
- This page, Prohibition on the Manufacture, Distribution & Sale of Certain Flame Retardants in Massachusetts, is offered by
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Regulatory Bulletin Prohibition on the Manufacture, Distribution & Sale of Certain Flame Retardants in Massachusetts
Contact for Prohibition on the Manufacture, Distribution & Sale of Certain Flame Retardants in Massachusetts
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Table of Contents
The New Flame Retardants Law
On January 1, 2021, Governor Baker signed the Acts of 2020, Chapter 261, adding a new Section 28 to Chapter 21A of the Massachusetts General Laws, which states:
A manufacturer or retailer shall not sell, offer or manufacture for sale, distribute in commerce or import into the commonwealth a covered product, except for inventory manufactured prior to December 31, 2021, that contains any of the following chemical flame retardants or a chemical analogue the total weight of which exceeds 1,000 parts per million for any component part of the covered product:
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The new law defines covered products that include bedding, carpeting, children’s products, residential upholstered furniture, and window treatments.
It also instructs the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to review, identify and recommend, if applicable, other flame retardants to prohibit if the agency determines they may present a toxic hazard to people. MassDEP will conduct this review not less than every three years.
Manufacturers of covered products are required to notify retailers and others who distribute or sell them of the new law's passage no later than July 1, 2021.
MassDEP is conducting outreach to manufacturers, retailers, and others to make them aware of the new law and their related compliance obligations. See Downloads below to learn more.
Supporting Research
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), test data and monitoring studies in humans and the environment have demonstrated that certain flame retardant chemicals can:
- Persist in the environment,
- Bioaccumulate in people and animals, and
- Cause adverse developmental effects in animals.
See the EPA Consumer Fact Sheet on Flame Retardants for additional information.