U.S. Flammable Fabrics Act

The U.S. Flammable Fabrics Act is an act that was passed by the 83rd United States Congress in 1953 to regulate the manufacture of highly flammable clothing. It was enacted in response to many reports of rayon viscose fabrics causing quickly starting, high-temperature fires and also causing illnesses in factory workers. Rayon fabrics can become flammable with the mixture of carbon disulfide to convert cellulose into a viscose material conducive to threading for textiles. The introduction of carbon disulfide in the manufacturing process created a chemical reaction highly toxic to factory workers. A series of deaths in the 1940s were caused by long rayon pile cowboy chaps or brushed rayon sweaters worn by children. The act initially assigned the Federal Trade Commission as its enforcement authority, but the responsibility was later transferred to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 1967 when the act was amended to include interior furnishings, paper, plastic, foam and other materials used in apparel and interior furnishings. A provision of the act makes willful violation a felony with maximum penalties of a $10,000 fine and three years in prison. The SPSC was given the authority under the act to issue mandatory flammability standards, which have been established for textiles, vinyl plastic film in clothing, carpets, rugs, children's sleepwear, mattresses and mattress pads.