Toxic Hot Seat Film Screening Barnstable Senior Center

What: Public invited to free screening of Toxic Hot Seat followed by panel discussion

When: Tuesday, April 21, 2015

3:00pm-6:00pm

Where: The Barnstable Senior Center

825 Falmouth Road

Hyannis, MA 02601

Toxic Hot Seat, an HBO documentary directed by James Redford, the son of Robert Redford, brings to light the deadly consequences of well-intentioned safety regulations. The film follows a courageous group of firefighters and mothers, journalists and scientists, politicians and activists as they fight to expose the chemical industry’s role in backing flammability standards that require toxic flame retardant use in our homes.

Flame retardants are not effective at stopping fires and are putting our health at risk. Toxic flame retardants are known to be linked to severe health problems including birth defects and cancer. Currently, there is legislation pending in the Massachusetts legislature that would require manufacturers to phase out the use of toxic flame retardants in household furniture and children’s products. In 2014, Massachusetts updated its fire safety code for public buildings and meeting spaces allowing furniture to be manufactured and sold without the use of toxic flame retardants. With this new fire safety standard, we can look to safer ways of making furniture that are at least as effective at preventing fires as current toxic methods.

“We need to phase out these toxic flame retardants to protect all of our health, and we especially owe it to our firefighters who are exposed to toxic chemicals at even greater levels that the rest of us,” said Cheryl Osimo, Executive Director Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and Co Founder Silent Spring Institute. “Female firefighters have a six times greater risk of getting breast cancer than the average women in her 40s or 50s. This film is the kind of education we all need to make these health protective changes.”

“There is a national push for the phase out of flame retardants, collectively we can achieve this for Massachusetts and Cape Cod to protect our health from these dangerous, pervasive, and useless toxic chemicals,” said Sue Phelan, Director of GreenCAPE.

Panel discussion immediately following screening. Confirmed panelists:

Panelists: Laurel Schaider, PhD, Research Scientist, Silent Spring Institute

Sue Phelan, Director, GreenCAPE

Facilitator: Cheryl Osimo, Executive Director, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and

Co Founder Silent Spring Institute

This showing is made possible by the generosity of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Learn more at BlueCrossMA.com.

Sponsors: Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Clean Water Action, GreenCAPE, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, Silent Spring Institute