FTC asked to ban plastic toxicity film
Dispatches
The Society of the Plastics Industry has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ban “The Burning Issues,” a film that describes the dangers firefighters face when they are exposed to the toxicity of burning plastic.
The Society says the film contains “scare tactics.” Manufacturers of plastics say its contents are based on incomplete testing procedures.
The movie, produced by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) with funding from Atcor Inc., a steel-pipe manufacturer, has been shown on several public television stations throughout the country in the past year.
After viewing “The Burning Issues” and studying materials from the plastics industry, the city of Pittsburgh, PA, enacted an ordinance barring plastic piping and conduit in new or renovated structures.
A Pittsburgh city council member supported the city’s decision, saying the information from plastics manufacturers focused on the economic benefits of plastic pipe rather than on fire safety.
A report in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL says that the FTC has received the complaint about the film from the Society of Plastics Industry. They have not yet decided whether to investigate.