All our upholstered products, both commercial and residential, comply with TB 117-2013 without the use of flame retardants. For more information on TB 117-2013, please read below.
Understanding TB 117-2013
To understand TB 117-2013, it’s helpful to know its origins. Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) is a California law first enacted in 1975. This fire safety regulation focuses on the padding and upholstery of children’s products and select indoor residential furniture. For Cosco Home and Office products, this includes folding tables, chairs, or step stool chairs with foam padding. To be compliant, the padding needed to resist an open flame for 12 seconds without igniting. Although the law did not mandate the use of flame retardants, passing the test without chemicals was challenging, a trend that continued until the law was updated in 2013.
Flame Retardants and Health Risks
Flame retardants are either halogenated or phosphate-based and can be categorized by their composition (bromine, chlorine, phosphorus, nitrogen, metals, or boron). Hundreds of chemicals are used for this purpose, but all release toxic chemicals into the air when burned. This realization became evident when it was noted that the leading cause of death among firefighters was cancer; these toxins bioaccumulate, or build up in people and animals over time, and there are a plethora of health risks that are associated with them.
New Standard
In 2013, California amended TB 117, replacing the flame test with a smolder test (TB 117-2013). This change made the test easier to pass and more accurately simulated the effects of a cigarette or other fire starter on fabric. Some manufacturers achieve compliance with a fire barrier layer between the foam and outer cover or by using non-toxic flame-retardant fabrics. However, our products comply without such barriers.