Unfortunately, sometimes there are no perfect answers and it's instead a question of balancing different pros and cons. Flame retardants are a great example - a

Unfortunately, sometimes there are no perfect answers and it's instead a question of balancing different pros and cons. Flame retardants are a great example - asbestos does it really well, but creates potential for long-term harm. Modern furniture and home building moved onto other fire suppressants like PBDEs[1]. These are also not great for you, however, and the question of whether it's worth it or not depends on how much those few seconds of time are worth if there's a fire in your home. The answer to that question is extremely subjective, so it's easy to disagree with any decision that the industry makes. Remove all PBDEs: "Why are you putting my family in jeopardy?" Use PBDEs: "Why are you putting my family in jeopardy?" Finally, as with many other issues, the unseen element is cost. It's possible to use materials that don't require PBDEs to keep them from igniting rapidly, but will people be willing to pay that premium for their homes and their furniture? The rising popularity of "dollar stores"[2] and TEMU suggests that they won't. And making things more expensive through regulation has the side effect of empowering political forces that would gladly obliterate any kind of regulatory protection for consumers - making things worse, not better. [1] https://www.ecohome.net/guides/2223/flame-retardants-in-furnishings-an-unnecessary-and-serious-health-risk/ https://www.ecohome.net/guides/2223/flame-retardants-in-furn... [2] https://www.businessinsider.com/more-wealthy-people-shopping-at-dollar-stores-as-inflation-bites-2022-8?op=1 https://www.businessinsider.com/more-wealthy-people-shopping...