In your article on flame retardants, ‘Are lobbyists playing with fire?' (26 June-2 July), Arlene Blum was quoted saying that “it is unproven that Europe has a large fire problem that needs to be solved”.
Professional fire-fighters have no competence to judge the environmental and health risks of chemical substances. But let me state here categorically that the adoption across Europe of the fire standards called for by ACFSE for TV sets will save many hundreds of lives in the years to come, many from among our most vulnerable citizens – the young and the elderly.
Surely it is not by trying to disavow this reality, but rather by relying on both high fire safety standards and the established REACH regulatory framework for chemicals that both objectives can be served.
From:
Robert A. Graham
Executive director
Alliance for Consumer Fire Safety in Europe (ACFSE)
Brussels
