A new consensus on reconciling fire safety with environmental & health impacts of chemical flame retardants.

Flame retardants are chemical substances that are intended to mitigate fire safety risks posed by a range of goods including furniture, electronics, and building insulation. There are growing concerns about their effectiveness in ensuring fire safety and the potential harms they pose to human health and the environment. In response to these concerns, on 13 June 2022, a roundtable of experts was convened by the UKRI Six Clean Air Strategic Priorities Fund programme 7. The meeting produced a Consensus Statement that summarises the issues around the use of flame retardants, laying out a series of policy recommendations that should lead to more effective fire safety measures and reduce the human and environmental health risks posed by these potentially toxic chemicals.

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Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: JP is Chief Executive of the Cancer Prevention and Education Society, a registered charity with a mission of raising awareness of the health impacts of environmental exposures. PW is a researcher and consultant and declares receiving financial compensation from University of Central Lancashire for conducting research commissioned by the UK Office of Product Safety and Standards to inform potential revisions to the UK FFRs. DFD is an upholsterer focusing on natural, sustainable materials. TW is an architect focusing on housing using renewable materials. MB, LB, AC, RG, SH, FK, AK, OM, AS are researchers investigating exposure to, health impact of, and regulation of chemical products, holding academic employment and a range of grants relating thereto.