CBS Disparages Flame-Retardant Chemicals; Vague About Dangers

Photo of Jeff Poor.

According to the American Fire Safety Council (AFSC), flame-retardant chemicals save a lot of lives. But you would never know that from watching the May 19 "CBS Evening News" because correspondent Wyatt Andrews hyped the danger of such chemicals.

Andrews report featured a liberal politician who wants to ban the chemicals in Maine, and has made it one of her pet causes.

"You know, it makes me angry that I could have a child in the next couple years who would be impacted by these chemicals in my body," Democratic Maine State Rep. Hannah Pingree said on CBS May 19. Pingree is also the House majority leader in the Maine legislature according to "Evening News."

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Andrews also included a senior toxicologist with the Environmental Protection Agency who said the chemicals "can affect the developing brain and they can affect the developing reproductive system," but "there is very limited evidence whether or not they can cause cancer."

Still Andrews hyped the dangers of the chemical and said flame-retardant chemicals can be found in our bodies because of their widespread use on fabrics.

"We all have it because for 30 years flame-retardant chemicals, hundreds of millions of pounds of them, have been embedded in furniture and consumer products in an effort to slow down fires and reduce deaths and injuries," Andrews said. "But scientists are now raising red flags about the widely used brominated flame retardants called [polybrominated diphenyl ethers] PBDEs."

According to the AFSC, these products do save many lives by slowing the spread of fire and providing essential escape time.

"As producers and users of flame retardants, we are proud of the important role they play in saving lives," Mark Buczek, chairman of the AFSC said in a press release. "Whether in furniture, mattresses, television sets or automobiles, flame retardants work silently to protect the public and fire fighters and reduce injuries and property damage from fires."


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so, so, so tired of this

The lame stream media just won't quit trying to find another boggie man to scare us with. And... 90% of the time they wind up killing thousands if not millions - take DDT for example.

A good example of why I quit dead wood media long ago.

I hope that Pingree gets

I hope that Pingree gets her way.  It would mean that there would be no fire protection across the state of Main as firemen would refuse to serve without the outstanding protection that fire retardant fabrics provide. 

Also, all military pilots would be unable to fly to/from or over Main as these men and women are required to wear flame retardant uniforms as part of their flight ensembles.

But, hey, women and children would be "protected!"  And isn't that the important thing? 

Insane = liberals

This proposed legislation could burn up constituents

"You know, it makes me angry that I could have a child in the next couple years who would be impacted by these chemicals in my body," Democratic Maine State Rep. Hannah Pingree said...

I wonder if Ms. Pingree is equally angry regarding the impact abortions have on children?  Nah, that is one area concerning her body I am confident Ms. Pingree desperately fights to keep the government away from.  The Dem way -- Life saving fire-retardents = bad...Life taking abortions = good. 

Pingree has the perfect pedigree for CBS -- Served four years as Washington-based chairwoman of the extremely left-wing Common Cause and is backed by EMILY's List, a national political organization that helps candidates who support abortion rights.

Chemicals, chemicals, chemicals!

When did the word "chemicals" take on a negative connotation? I'm sick of hearing people spouting idiocy like, "Now I've got chemicals in my body," "Don't buy that; it's got chemicals," and "Chemical-free!" as though they have a bloody clue what they're talking about. Instead, ignorant fools hype up the evil "chemicals" with vague, uncertain, or disputed claims to get them banned. Of course, they didn't give a rip that banning DDT would cause the increased spread of malaria, so I doubt they'll care if more people burn to death either.

www.rhjunior.com Great comics with a hefty dose of Christian and anti-nutjob goodness.

"With your mind as high as Mt. Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things near to you." -Miyamoto Musashi

"You know, it makes me

"You know, it makes me angry that I could have a child in the next couple years who would be impacted by these chemicals in my body," Democratic Maine State Rep. Hannah Pingree said on CBS May 19.

What?  How could her child "be impacted by these chemicals in [her] body"?  Doesn't Hannah Pingree know that the Democrat party holds that storks magically create children and drop them off at hospital maternity wards?  How could the storks' creation of human beings be affected "by these chemicals in [her] body"?

The party of Compassion...

The possibility that a child could be affected by the chemicals is far worse than the certainty of a child having its head punctured and crushed, brain blended and sucked out, and body chopped into pieces for an abortion. Yep, right compassionate, that... </sarc>

www.rhjunior.com Great comics with a hefty dose of Christian and anti-nutjob goodness.

"With your mind as high as Mt. Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things near to you." -Miyamoto Musashi

Let Me Guess

These harmful chemicals are only harmful if you eat them.  Thanks, I'll be sure not to eat my camping tent.

Or maybe they're only harmful if they burn, well, we can't have that even if they save my life in a fire!  I'd rather die in a fire than inhale harmful chemicals for a minute (of course these fears are coming from dope smokers).

Wait a second, isn't my body made up of chemicals?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!