Washington Bans Chemicals; Industry Freaks

Frosty Piss writes "The governor of Washington is scheduled to sign legislation today to ban flame retardants called PBDEs in furniture, televisions, and computers in the state. This is despite the more than $220,000 the chemical industry has spent since 2005 to defeat the legislation. At a time when the federal government is largely ineffectual in regulating long-used but potentially dangerous industrial chemicals, the Washington ban could be the beginning of the end for PBDEs across the nation. 'The industry that makes deca and PBDEs is freaking out because they lost so severely in Washington state and other states will follow,' said a spokeswoman for the Washington Toxics Coalition. 'It really is a message from Washington state and policymakers that we won't accept chemicals that build up in our bodies and our children.'"

Comments

What the ... ?

[khasim]

That's not the point, Kyte said. Deca is safe and shouldn't become the "poster child" for stricter regulations just because a chemical is detected in people or the environment.

Isn't that a HUGE issue? The chemical is CONCENTRATING itself in the food chain.

Either show that it decomposes into safe, naturally occurring chemicals or realize that it is time to look at banning it BEFORE it hits levels that are hazardous.

It only takes a spark

[ghostlibrary]

I like that the /. ad on this page was "It only takes a spark" (smokey the bear).

But yeah, if one child catches fire but it saves ten thousand from cancer, that's unfortunately a better decision over all. Note it's not like children are spontaneously combusting without PBDEs, it's just that the companies will happily use the cheapest fire-proofing despite the consequences.

More to the point, a parent can stop a child from playing with a fire a lot easier than they can stop a corporation from leaking toxins into the water supply. This is, oddly enough, how legislation is supposed to work.

Re:It only takes a spark

[beckerist]

What's most enigmatic is the line: This is despite the more than $220,000 the chemical industry has spent since 2005 to defeat the legislation.

My interpretation: Congressmen need more than 6 figures to be bought off.

Re:It only takes a spark

[Applekid]

While not a zero-sum game, I think the influence of lobbyists isn't as important as the politcal implications of certain decisions. I'd argue one gets into state legislature so that they could climb the ladder into federal legislature or further.

Nobody wants to be the politician whose color picture of their smiling face fades to grayscale and is then overlayed on an image of sick children in hospital beds, then with the image of the hospital crossfading to a picture of a waste-water dumping pipe discharging into a creek all the while ominous music plays in the background.

You could argue one doesn't want to be the politician with his black and white picture on top of pictures of people on fire, but burn victims don't get telethons and specials on 20/20.

Re:Washington State, Don't come crying back....

[cyfer2000]

China, Europe and Japan have banned PBDE, plus California, I think Washington is going to be OK.

Here we go...

[Bullfish]

Lemme see here:

1. Have mature product with static revenues
2. Have legislature ban mature product
3. Feebly fight against ban so you can tell public you tried
4. Introduce new, more expensive product
5. Profit!!

government mandated "solutions"

[FredThompson]

...and they also want to require compact fluorescent bulbs which...contain mercury, another cumulative poison which doesn't break down.

Yes, folks, the same government nannies will have your neighbors throwing mercury into the trash. Never mind that it will get into the ground and your water supplies, costs more, is inferior light and sends money to the Chinese communists.

Never mind that the same thinking banned DDT which meant millions of Africans have died from malaria or that liberated prisoners from the Nazi death camps were bathed in DDT to kill the bugs living on them or that "Silent Spring" has been shown to be a work of fiction.

Never mind that banning asbestos created more danger because removing asbestos is more dangerous than using it properly, automobile brakes are nowhere near as capable, costs increased and, oh, yeah, the WTC would have stood longer because it was designed to survive airplane hits provided the guts were protected by asbestos so it would have stood a few more hours.

Nope, those who know what's best for us must rise and save us from ourselves.