Now, because of those early days of development and research, even more formulas have been brought forward to provide maximum protection and effectiveness. It is now known that anything can be fire proofed (Rossotti 1993).
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering amending the Standard for the Flammability for Clothing Textiles, which covers clothing and textile fabrics intended for use in clothing. It excludes hats, gloves, footwear, and interlining fabrics. The standard provides a test to determine whether such clothing and fabrics exhibit ``rapid and intense burning,'' and are therefore highly flammable. In 1953, Congress enacted the Flammable Fabrics Act of 1953. As enacted in 1953 and amended in 1954, the FFA prohibited the importation, manufacture for sale, or the sale in commerce of any article of wearing apparel, which is ``so highly flammable as to be dangerous when worn by individuals.'' The FFA of 1953 specified that a test, first published by the Department of Commerce as a voluntary commercial standard, then called ``Flammability of Clothing Textiles". In 1967, Congress amended the FFA, expanding its coverage and authorizing the Secretary of Commerce to issue flammability standards through rulemaking. A savings clause kept the flammability standard for clothing textiles that the 1953 Act had mandated into effect until superseded or modified by the Secretary of Commerce through the procedures specified in the 1967 amendment. In 1972, Congress established the Consumer Product Safety Commission when it enacted the Consumer Product Safety. The CPSA transferred to the Commission the authority the Secretary of Commerce had to issue and amend flammability standards under the FFA. It is this standard that the Commission is considering amending (Ritchie 1997). .
Fire retardants are usually added to plastics to reduce their burning rate. This means scientists have tried to increase the materials resistance to a variety of Bunsen burner type flames.
