What's New
Victory! The Oregon Legislature passed the OSPIRG-backed Senate Bill 962, which
will phase out the use and sale of a group of toxic flame retardants in Oregon.
The bill will be signed by Governor Kulongoski, and Oregon will join many other
states in taking this action to protect public health.
A Brief Summary
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of toxic flame retardants widely
used in many products including mattresses, furniture, electronics, plastics,
automobiles, computers, and other products. These flame retardants persist in
the environment and build up in animals and people. At very low levels, PBDEs
impair memory, learning, and behavior in laboratory animals. They also affect
thyroid hormones and other bodily functions. Most at risk are developing fetuses,
infants, and young children.
Levels of PBDEs are rising
rapidly in the environment and in human bodies, particularly in North America
where the use of PBDEs is the highest. A recent study of Northwest women found
PBDE levels in breast milk that were 20-40 times higher than those found in
Japanese and Swedish women. In addition, wildlife studies have shown that PBDE
levels are rising at alarming rates, doubling every one to five years. In the
Columbia River system, levels of PBDEs in fish doubled in a mere 1.6 years.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are a type of brominated flame retardant
- chemicals that reduce the spread of fire in a variety of common products from
fabrics to electronics to plastic. Three different mixtures are currently available:
Deca, Octa, and Penta BDE. These chemicals can be found in home furniture, seats
in airplanes and automobiles, and electronics such as fax machines, computers,
telephone handsets, televisions, and stereos.
PBDEs are bioaccumulative,
concentrating in the fatty tissue of living organisms and building up through
the food chain. They do not degrade easily in the environment, and they can
be transported across long distances in the air. Toxic flame retardants escape
into the environment during manufacture, product use, and disposal. PBDEs are
turning up with increasing frequency in human blood and women's breast milk,
in household dust, in wildlife, and in many food items.
A recent study of Northwest
women found PBDE levels in breast milk that were 20-40 times higher than those
found in Japanese and Swedish women. Health concerns from low-level toxic flame
retardant exposure, particularly for developing babies, include impacts on memory,
learning and behavior.
Numerous alternatives to
PBDEs are available, safe to human health, cost effective, and capable of meeting
stringent fire standards. Indeed, many companies - such as Intel, Ikea, and
Ericsson—have already found safer alternatives to these toxic flame retardants
with no reduction in fire safety. Now is the time to stop using these chemicals
altogether, since we know that when we stop using them, levels in our bodies
go down. When Sweden banned the use of PBDEs, levels in breast milk decreased
dramatically.
Links
June 7, 2005 News
Release on the bill’s final passage
May 19, 2005 OSPIRG’s
Testimony to House Environment Committee
April 20, 2005 News
Release when the bill passed the State Senate
Feb 18, 2004, Widely
Used Flame Retardants Found in Breast Milk of American Women
