Industry supplier Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., with headquarters in Hickory, N.C., is eliminating TDCPP fire retardant from its foam formulations and facilities. TDCPP became an object of controversy in October 2011 when the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment added the chemical to the California Proposition 65 list of materials “known by the state to cause cancer.”
The chemical has long been used as a fire retardant in foams in home furnishings and automobiles. Generally, TDCPP is not an ingredient in bedding foams since mattress manufacturers use a barrier fabric or fiber to meet federal FR standards.
“The decision to eliminate TDCPP from our foam products did not come easily or without cost,” said Buster Mann, Hickory Springs senior vice president of foam. “But at the end of the day, it was the right thing to do, and it supports our goal to be a proactive leader within the marketplace.”
Prop 65 requires California manufacturers and retailers of products sold in California to notify workers, communities and consumers when chemicals identified as having the potential to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm are present in their products, workplace environment or retail store.
