For many students, their school campus is their home away from home—it’s where they learn, study, socialize, eat, and sleep. Universities and colleges are charged with educating the next generation, and they are also responsible for providing students with a safe environment in which they learn and grow. Administrators can make decisions about the products they purchase, the practices they support, and set “green” standards in order to reduce exposures to everyday toxic chemicals on campus.

Due to recent changes in furniture flammability standards, manufacturers are making furniture without adding toxic flame retardant chemicals. This presents an opportunity for institutions to buy furniture free of these harmful chemicals, which are associated with cancer, decreased brain functioning, and reproductive problems. Our tips for campus administrators are focused on reducing exposures to flame retardant chemicals.

Download our furniture fire code guide to see what kind of furniture you can buy in Massachusetts and Boston.

Tips

  • tip_first_responders

    Protecting First Responders

    By reducing exposure to toxic flame retardants on campus, universities and colleges can also protect first responders. During a fire, firefighters breathe in a soup of toxic chemicals and are routinely exposed to high levels of flame retardants. Compared with the rest of the population, firefighters have significantly higher rates

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  • tip_purchasing

    Change Your Purchasing Practices

    Every day, more and more organizations are switching to flame retardant-free furniture. Universities and colleges have enormous purchasing power and can help fuel this growing demand for flame retardant-free furniture. Thanks to new flammability standards, a number of leading furniture companies have stopped including these toxic chemicals in upholstered furniture.

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  • tip_fire

    Understand Your Fire Code

    As of January 1st 2014, consumers have the option of buying furniture free of flame retardant chemicals thanks to a new flammability standard in California called TB117-2013. The new standard, which replaces the outdated California standard called TB117, does not require the use of flame retardants in furniture. The policy

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  • no_health_risks

    Know the Health Risks

    Flame retardant chemicals, which can be found in a variety of consumer products, including upholstered furniture, textiles, and electronic devices, can be hazardous to human health. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, decreased brain functioning, and thyroid abnormalities. Originally, manufacturers added the chemicals to furniture with the intent of

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