I'm not sure what your point is. You can have furniture made without chemicals or with minimal chemicals. Solid wood furniture with wax or oil finishes is available. Sofas with true hardwood frames, cotton fabrics, and Marshall coil seat cushions instead of solid foam are available. Organic mattresses are available.

I feel flammability requirements are flawed. Now might be a good time to buy before these flammability standards become law.

Many years ago when I was pregnant and buying every parenting magazine I could get I read in one magazine (British I think) that they had decided to exempt cot mattresses from the flame retardant requirements.

I am sorry, but my point is this flammability standard has been in effect for 15 years or more, even if not required on the federal level. It has been required by many states. Manufacturers of the fabrics and the materials that go into making a sofa or mattress has been using these chemicals to meet the state requirements; particular the California standards. Every individual furniture manufacturer has been meeting these standards because it is almost impossible for them to buy any materials that has not been treated to meet the flammability standards. Even a spring cushion or mattress has some padding and materials that covers the springs, all of which has been treated with chemicals to meet the standard. The cotton industry is one of the first to start using chemicals to meet the standards. Any place you can go purchase a bed or upholstered furniture will tell you everything they sell meets the flammability standards. European standards are even tougher than the North American standards. Their are many ways you can treat fabrics, materials and fillings to meet the standards, and some chemicals are safer than others but most have never really been fully tested for long term safety.
What the federal law does here is to keep each state from having their own standards and so suppliers of the industry dont have to worry about but just one standard for everything they sell.
I hope even if only a few readers of this form take the time and do the research on whats really going on here and then write or call the CPSC or to their congress person and let them know of their concerns. One way to give consumers a choice is just require manufacturers to put on the law label one of 2 statements, either this product meets the flammability standards or it does not. This will enable suppliers to start offering materials to manufacturers without these potential very harmful chemicals. My thanks to everybody who takes the time to fully understand this important issue.

OK, I think I see your point. These chemicals are poisoning our bodies. True.

Have you ever seen furniture burn? I have seen some videotaped controlled demonstrations. I have also seen our own dumpster with foam in it go up in flames after some kids threw in some firecrackers. The speed and intensity of the fire is amazing. My commercial grade fire extinguisher was about useless. It bought us about another 30-60 seconds. My co-worker had immediately called the fire department. They're less than a mile away and by the time they arrived the building was beginning to catch fire. Keep in mind the dumpster was outside, and the building is brick.

You may want non-fire retardant furniture. But if you live in the apartment below me, I don't want you to have such furniture, as a fire in your unit will endanger my life. If you live in the house next door and its close enough for a fire to pass to my house, then I don't want you to have such furniture. Etc, etc, etc.

Very few structures have sprinklers, or fireproofed construction. Fires can start so easily from so many possible causes. Inexpensive extension cords, decorative candles, spilled grease, etc.

We have done a lot to remove poisons from our lives. To let a few back in for fire safety seems to be a necessary evil.

Please Mogator88, I urge you to take the time and do the research. Follow the links I posted. The current standard will NOT stop furniture from burning if you have a fire in your house. The foam in the dumpster was already treated with flame retarted chemicals but it will still burn. Once a fire has started in your house ie: Inexpensive extension cords, decorative candles, spilled grease, etc the furniture or mattresses will burn exactly the same flame retarded chemicals applied or not. The standard now for most states is the smoldering cigarette test only. It only means that if you leave a lit cigarette on your sofa or mattress for a certain length of time it will not start a fire. But this incident is only a small percentage of how most home fires get started. Everybody understands that home fires are a real tragedy, but in this case the risks of these chemicals far exceed any real benefits to the consumer.
Also fire extinguishers should be replaced or recharged once a year or they will not put out any kind of fire.

So, rmanbike, where are those of us who are very concerned about these toxins finding affordable furniture? Furnature looks like a great source, but I can't handle the prices. It's been a struggle to do what I have done: buy unfinished real wood futon frames and organic cotton and/or wool-stuffed futon mattresses (which become unbearably hard over time) plus cotton barrier cloth zippered covers. That's family room furniture.

Now I've ordered upholstering books thinking I'll try to get some older pieces and reupholster them myself. Can remove everything, including the springs and do it the old-fashioned way with all my organic materials sources and no govt. interference. But now I have to worry about the wood frames and whether the previous owners ever sprayed/fogged their homes with pesticides, used toxic waxes/cleaners and how much of that I can remove by refinishing.

Any tips from you? I have greatly reduced my use of asthma medications by going this route but it certainly isn't something most people will do.

BJ in Atlanta, I will try to help you out the best I can, but sounds like your super sensitive to many things in your environment. Outdoor furniture is not required to meet any flammability requirements, but these foams are specialized and can be expensive. Currently Georgia is one of the states with no flammability requirements so you might be able to find a small local supplier for upholstery materials, it just depends on where they buy their foam or other fillings.
And Macbirch, I believe in the beginning years ago the UK standards they may have exempted natural fillings, but now all materials sold in the UK must meet open flame requirements, one of the toughest for manufacturers.