Banning fire retardant doesn't make sense

The Washington state Senate voted 71-24 to ban decabromo diphenyl ether, at least sort of, sometime in the future. The bill, House Bill 1024, is full of holes, and for a good reason: The case for doing something decisive has not been made.

The chemical, also called deca-BDE, is a fire retardant used in the plastic backs of TVs and computer monitors, in upholstery, drapes and many other things. The use of deca-BDE is why, if a small flame is held to them, the backs of most American TVs will not catch on fire, whereas TVs used in some other countries will become a flaming ball.

By reducing the fire danger from petroleum-based plastics, deca-BDE saves lives.

The case against deca-BDE rests on its detection in humans in tiny amounts. That is not comforting, but so far it has not been documented to cause a health problem to humans.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, does not flatly ban deca-BDE, except in mattresses. It would ban it in computer monitors and TVs, but only if a better chemical can be certified by the Department of Ecology. The department, however, is not in the chemicals-discovery business.

The bill also allows unlimited use of deca-BDEs by manufacturers of medical devices, airplanes and trucks, which neatly exempts Boeing, Paccar and other companies based here. Blatant discrimination against foreign products probably violates the World Trade Organization treaty.

In any case, the regulation of products in international commerce falls to Congress, not the states.