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VERY IMPORTANT LETTER REPRESENTING THE VIEWS OF THE MAJORITY OF AMERICA'S STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL ON THE ISSUE OF INDOOR AIR AND CARPETING.
Office of the Attorney General
State at Texas
DAN MORALES
ATTORNEY GENERAL
December 23, 1991
Jerry G. Thorn
General Counsel
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, D.C. 20207
Dear Mr. Thorn:
We, the Attorneys General of Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are writing to request that the CPSC docket the carpet petition onginally submitted by New York Attorney General Robert Abrams in April, 1991. We understand that your office refused to docket the petition and that Attorney General Abrams has appealed that decision. If the Commission dockets the petition, we would like to join the New York Attorney General as petitioners.
The carpet petition and accompanying exhibits document not only the existence of numerous hazardous substances that are emitted from carpets, posing a potential danger to consumers in each of our states, but also that substantial numbers of consumers have actually suffered injuries from exposure to the volatile organic compounds (VOCS) emitted from newly installed carpets. In many instances, the injuries suffered have been substantial, including the onset of asthma, allergies and multiple chemical sensitivities. Not only are the complaints cited in the petition abundant, but we believe they represent only the relatively limited number of consumers who were both aware of the connection between carpet emissions and the development of their illness and who then filed complaints with government agencies; thus It is likely that there are many more affected consumers.
In light of this serious problem, the State of New York, in
its carpet petition, requests that CPSC require Industry to prepare and
distribute certain educational materials that would alert the public to this
potential problem and advise prospective purchasers of the importance of
adequate ventilation. By widely distributing this type of educational material
many susceptible consumers will avoid injury. In addition, other consumers, who
have already suffered ill effects, will at least have an opportunity to learn
about the possible connection between their symptoms and newly Installed
carpets so that they can take prompt action.
We believe that the. petition filed by the State of New York offers a simple and responsible solution to a serious problem and accordingly deserves CFSC’s immediate attention. We urge you to promptly docket the petition, and then permit us, on behalf of our states, to join in as petitioners.
Sincerely,
Dan Morales
Attorney General of Texas
Jimmy Evans
Attorney General of Alabama
Grant Woods
Attorney General of Arizona
Richard Blumenthal
Attorney General of Connecticut
Robert A. Butterworth
Attorney General of Florida
Bonnie Campbell
Attorney General of Iowa
Robert T. Stephan
Attorney General of Kansas
Scott Harshbarger
Attorney General of Massachusetts
Hubert H. Humphrey, ifi
Attorney General of Minnesota
William L. Webster
Attorney General of Missouri
Frankle Sue Del Papa
Attorney General of Nevada
Robert J. Del Tufo
Attorney General of New Jersey
Tom Udall
Attorney General of New Mexico
Nicholas Spaeth
Attorney General of North Dakota
Lee Fisher
Attorney Ceneral of Ohio
Robert H. Henry
Attorney General of Oklahoma
Dave Frohnmayer
Attorney General of Oregon
Ernest D. Preate, Jr.
Attorney General of Pennsylvania
Mark Barrtett
Attorney General of South Dakota
Charles W. Burson
Attorney General of Tennessee
Paul Van Dam
Attorney General of Utah
Jeffrey L. Amestoy
Attorney General of Vermont
Ken Eikenberry
Attorney General of Washington
Mario Palumbo
Attorney General o West Virginia
James B. Doyle
Attorney General of Wisconsin