The lobbying efforts of the manufacturers of the chemicals are a major contributor: The legislators wrote that the “worst tactics outlined in the Chicago Tribu

The lobbying efforts of the manufacturers of the chemicals are a major contributor: The legislators wrote that the “worst tactics outlined in the Chicago Tribune series — which we each saw some of firsthand in our states — included: deliberately misrepresenting the science around flame retardant chemicals relating to both their effectiveness and their health risks; employing an expert witness who repeatedly invoked a phony story of a child dying in a fire in order to justify flame retardant mandates; creating a front group called ‘Citizens for Fire Safety’ to counter the opposition to flame retardants among firefighters and health organizations; and using racial profiling to mislead community leaders about the impacts of toxic flame retardant chemicals.” ... These powerful industries distorted science in ways that overstated the benefits of the chemicals, created a phony consumer watchdog group that stoked the public's fear of fire and helped organize and steer an association of top fire officials that spent more than a decade campaigning for their cause. http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html