Fire Safety and Chemicals in our Clothes
In 1977, the flame retardant TRIS was removed from children’s pajamas as a suspected carcinogen, but it continued to be used in a host of other products—including baby cribs, car seats, and furniture.
Since then, scientists have discovered that flame retardants can leach out of products into household dust, collect in our bodies, and pose health risks, especially to developing babies.
But no flame retardant has been banned by the federal government, and there are no specific tests required before a new chemical is put on the market. And with 80,000 untested chemicals out there, that raises a question: how do we know what’s safe?
For more information, watch the feature length documentary Toxic Hot Seat.
More Like This

A tragic bridge collapse in Miami echoes a similar event in Minnesota over a decade ago, one of the first signs of America’s growing infrastructure problem.

As gaming becomes the dominant form of entertainment this century, game developers increasingly track player behavior to tailor experiences that will keep people playing longer and spending more money.

We’ve teamed with PBS’ American Experience to take a look back at Freeman Dyson, who explored whether interplanetary space travel could be made possible by harnessing the power of a nuclear bomb.

Catastrophic accidents at power plants have heightened fears about the safety of nuclear energy, but environmentalists and others are giving it renewed attention as a way to fight global warming.