Chemical Regulation on Fire: Rapid Policy Advances on Flame Retardants

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 47; no. 13; pp. 7067 - 7076
• Main Authors: Cordner, Alissa, Mulcahy, Margaret, Brown, Phil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 02.07.2013
• Subjects: Advocacy; Applied sciences; Chemicals; Community Participation; Consumer Advocacy; Environmental health; Environmental policy; Environmental science; Exact sciences and technology; Federal Government; Flame Retardants; Global environmental pollution; Government Regulation; Humans; Mass Media; Newspapers as Topic; Pollution; Public health; Public Policy; Risk assessment; State Government; United States; Web site reviews; United States; North America; America; United States > US; USA, Illinois, Chicago; Persistent organic pollutant; Health and environment; Environmental policy; Scientific research; Flame retardant; Impact study; Regulation; Public health; Organic compounds; Fire safety
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es3036237

Chemicals that are widely used in consumer products offer challenges to product manufacturers, risk managers, environmental regulators, environmental scientists, and the interested public. However, the factors that cause specific chemicals to rise to the level of regulatory, scientific, and social movement concern and scrutiny are not well documented, and scientists are frequently unclear about exactly how their research impacts policy. Through a case study of advocacy around flame retardant chemicals, this paper traces the pathways through which scientific evidence and concern is marshaled by both advocacy groups and media sources to affect policy change. We focus our analysis around a broad coalition of environmental and public health advocacy organizations and an investigative journalism series published in 2012 in the Chicago Tribune. We demonstrate that the Tribune series both brought the issue to a wider public audience and precipitated government action, including state policy revisions and federal Senate hearings. We also show how a broad and successful flame retardant coalition developed, leveraged a media event, and influenced policy at multiple institutional levels. The analysis draws on over 110 in-depth interviews, literature and Web site reviews, and observations at a flame retardant manufacturing company, government offices, and scientific and advocacy conferences.