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John,
The safety features inside our cars shouldn't come with hidden dangers.
But some flame-retardant chemicals used in vehicles are worse than ineffective -- they're actively harmful, failing to prevent fires while also increasing our risk of cancer.[1]
Bipartisan legislation telling the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reassess its current federal vehicle flammability standards is moving through Congress. It also calls for an investigation into the health risks associated with common flame retardants used to meet those standards.[2]
Tell your U.S. House representative: Get ineffective, cancer-causing chemicals out of cars.
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In order to meet current vehicle standards, manufacturers add flame retardant chemicals throughout the interior of cars and especially in seat foam. But these safety standards haven't been updated since the 1970s. What's worse, some commonly-used flame retardants may not even reduce vehicle fires, deaths or injuries.[3]
Some flame retardants are carcinogens. Others are linked to neurological harm and reproductive issues. In one 2024 study, researchers found harmful flame retardants in the interiors of every single car they tested.[4]
These harmful chemicals do not reduce fire risk, and instead, they expose drivers to toxic chemicals.
It's time to bring safety standards up to date. Ask your U.S. House representative to support the Motor Vehicle Flammability Standards Study Act of 2026.
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Modernizing these standards can provide tangible benefits to countless American families. Twelve years ago, California updated its flammability standards for furniture and baby products to ones that could be met without flame retardants. Furniture's level of fire safety remained the same, or even increased -- all while reducing the amount of harmful flame retardant chemicals in homes.[5]
The same progress should be made in our cars. Our legislators need to know that we want to leave these outdated, harmful safety standards in the past.
Will you contact your U.S. House representative now?
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Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. "Study: You're Breathing Potential Carcinogens Inside Your Car," Green Science Policy Institute, May 7, 2024.
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2. "H.R.8444 - Motor Vehicle Flammability Standards Study Act of 2026," United States Congress, House, April 22, 2026.
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3. "Study: You're Breathing Potential Carcinogens Inside Your Car," Green Science Policy Institute, May 7, 2024.
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4. "Study: You're Breathing Potential Carcinogens Inside Your Car," Green Science Policy Institute, May 7, 2024.
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5. Ranjit Gill, Q. Wang, et al. "Trends in flame retardant levels in upholstered furniture and children's consumer products after regulatory action in California," Chemosphere, March 2024.
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