LETHBRIDGE, AB – Firefighters in Alberta are applauding the federal government for addressing the hazards associated with chemical flame retardants in some household products.
The Alberta Firefighters Association says in a media release that some products, like upholstered furniture, mattresses and electronics, are becoming more harmful when they burn.
Officials say the toxic smoke those products create because of the chemicals is known to cause cancer, and it doesn’t actually provide any benefit to consumers or firefighters.
The Government of Canada is now working to ban the flame retardant, and it’s helping manufacturers learn to make their products without it.
Curtis Noble, Interim President of the Alberta Firefighters Association, says “cancer has reached epidemic levels in the fire service”, and this move will help reduce health risks for firefighters right across the country.