UKRAINE TO RECEIVE US-MADE MOBILE ROCKET SYSTEMS PAID BY GERMANY

inside their vehicles.

According to a study published this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, flame retardants — chemicals typically added to seat foam and other automobile materials to prevent fires — are present within almost all brands of cars, at least among models dating from 2015.

When seasonal temperatures spike, so too do the concentrations of flame retardants circulating inside a car’s cabin: as much as two to five times more in summer compared with winter, researchers from Duke University and the Californiabased environmental advocacy group the Green Science Policy Institute found.

Arlene Blum, executive director of the institute who co-authored the study, told The Dallas Morning News that flame retardant chemicals have been incorporated into consumer goods, such as clothing and furniture, since the 1970s. “Flame retardants were put into a variety of products with the idea that they would improve fire safety,” Blum said. “Nobody thought they were harmful.”

Ukraine will receive three HIMARS mobile rocket systems from U.S. stocks with Germany footing the bill, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Thursday.

Pistorius, who revealed the plan after talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, said the idea emerged during the extended wait for $61 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine. Congress passed the assistance as part of a national security package in April.

“Time was of the essence,” Pistorius told reporters. “So we offered to take over, pay for and deliver three systems from U.S. army stocks.” HIMARS, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp., has proven effective against Russian supply routes and ammunition dumps far behind the front lines.

In Washington, Pistorius sought to convey the message that Germany was taking on greater military responsibilities, including in the defense industry, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.