Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has signed into law a bill that bans a floor finishing product which has been linked to home fires across Massachusetts.
The bill Patrick signed Tuesday prohibits the commercial use and sale of lacquer sealer, a highly flammable product used to finish floors.
Lacquer sealer is believed to have caused a 2004 fire in Somerville that killed two Vietnamese floor sanders and two of their co-workers. A fire soon after in Hull that killed a floor refinisher was also blamed on lacquer sealer.
Following these accidents, a Floor Finishing Safety Task Force found that lacquer sealer is dangerous and unnecessary.
The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health says the law will help save lives.
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