Author's note: This blog post originally appeared on Sightline Daily in a series on low-hanging regulatory reform to encourage sustainable practices. The test is simple: 12 seconds exposed to a small flame like a cigarette lighter. If the furniture foam doesn’t burn, it passes the test and can be sold. If it burns, it fails and cannot. That’s been California’s trial by fire for furnishings—its “ flammability standard ”—since 1975. It sounds reasonable enough. Unfortunately, though, this obscure rule turns out to cause an inordinate amount of toxic harm to people, the environment, and pets...