Plenty of FR bedding material said available
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 23, 2003
Greensboro, N.C. — The chief of California's Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation says there will be more than enough fire-retardant materials available for bedding producers to meet stringent new open-flame mattress standards proposed by that state.
Lynn Morris, bureau chief, said at a flammability workshop here last week that about 20 suppliers have told the bureau that a total of 177 million linear yards of FR materials will be available. She said that 140 million linear yards would be needed to meet the needs of the entire country.
"We believe our proposals are reasonable," Morris said. "The information we are getting back suggests they are reasonable."
The issue of FR material availability is one that has sparked discussion in the bedding industry. Some suggest there may not be enough materials to meet the industry's needs.
Morris spoke at a workshop sponsored by the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn., which drew about 350 people. She noted in an interview with Furniture/Today that not all suppliers of FR materials have told the California bureau how much material they can provide. "We feel the materials will be available," she said.
In her presentation, Morris also said the Bureau has already tested several mattresses that have passed the proposed California standards. All of the beds that were "made properly" came in well within the proposed standard of a peak heat release rate of 150 kilowatts, she said.
California is proposing an hour-long open flame mattress test. Burners aimed at the top and side of the mattress and box spring are ignited simultaneously. The top flame burns for 70 seconds, while the side flame burns for 50 seconds. Then the bedding is monitored to see what happens.
During the one-hour test, the peak heat release rate cannot exceed 150 kilowatts. Nor can the total heat release exceed 25 megajoules in the first 10 minutes of the test. If either of those levels is exceeded, the bed fails the test.
The test lasts for one hour unless "flashover" — the bed bursting into flames — is inevitable, or self-extinguishment occurs.
The criteria are for twin-sized beds.
California released its proposed open-flame standards last month. They will become state law on Jan. 1. They are likely to set a national open-flame mattress standard.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also is studying the open-flame mattress issue. Later this year the CPSC staff will prepare a briefing package for its commissioners that could propose a national open-flame standard.
But it could be 2005 before such a standard, if approved, would go into effect, said Dale Ray, a CPSC project manager. A national open-flame mattress standard would pre-empt the California standard.
California has scheduled two public meetings to get industry comments on its proposed mattress standards, one in San Francisco and one in the Los Angeles area. The hearings are set for late April.
Morris said the Bureau wants to hear from the industry, but is interested in facts, not arguments. "Send us data, not lobbyists," she said.
Morris and John McCormack, the Bureau's manager of research and development, who also spoke at the flammability workshop, fielded several questions from the audience.
Morris admitted that the Bureau has "limited enforcement capabilities" but added that they are being stepped up. She said the state can "red tag" items on the retail floor that don't comply with California's law. Those items cannot be sold.
She also said that California retailers can keep their existing bedding inventories in place and sell those beds off after the new law goes into effect. The new law covers beds produced after the first of next year.
McCormack said several test labs are ready to test beds to see if they meet California's proposed standards, and additional labs are coming on stream.
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