Mashpee Fire Lt. Nicole Stanley realized just how important banning harmful chemicals in flame retardants is when she was diagnosed with occupational cancer last summer.
“Now that I’ve been diagnosed with cancer, it’s an eye-opener to me. I thought I was protecting myself,” Stanley told the Herald.
Doctors have attributed Stanley’s rare form of breast cancer to exposure of carcinogens in her 28 years of service on the Mashpee Fire Department, she said.
Stanley urged Gov. Charlie Baker to sign a bill that bans the use of 11 toxic flame-retardant chemicals found in children’s products, residential furniture and household goods, as did Rep. Marjorie Decker, Sen. Cindy Creem, the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, Clean Water Action and MASSPIRG at a State House press conference Tuesday.
The bill was among the final ones passed before the Legislature ended the last session. Baker must sign it before Friday or it is vetoed, according to Creem.