[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/EW-03-02-12-Flame-Retardants-.mp3|titles=EW 03-02-12 Flame Retardants]
Few of us are familiar with polybrominated diphenyl ethers. They’re not in your spice or medicine cabinet, and you’re not likely to find them among the garden chemicals in your garage. But, if you have a sofa, a laptop, or a TV, they are in your house.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs are flame retardants that are used in a wide range of products in the home—from upholstered furniture and electronics to children’s clothing. When exposed to fire, the bromine atom is released from these organic molecules, and by binding what are known as free-radicals, PBDEs smother the fire. This gives us more time to react before a large fire erupts.
No doubt, flame retardants have saved lives. But there is increasing evidence that exposure to PBDEs comes at the cost of reproductive and developmental health effects. And this is alarming given that residues of these compounds are found in nearly all Americans.
In addition to being released into the environment during manufacturing, we are exposed to PBDEs when we use the consumer products that contain them. They are not biodegradable and they accumulate in the environment.
North America has the highest levels of exposure and children are especially vulnerable. Their clothing and car seats are treated, they mouth cell phones and remote controls, and they can inject PBDE dust when they crawl on the floor.
PBDEs are similar in structure to PCBs, which have significant carcinogenic effects.
“There are some concerns about carcinogenicity,” says Heather Stapleton, a professor in Duke University’s School of the Environment. “However, more of the concerns, at least right now for PBDEs as a class, focuses on concerns related to endocrine disruption and particularly effects on thyroid hormone regulation, and neuro-developmental outcomes in children who have been exposed in uteral or early stages of their lives.”
The jury is still out on PBDEs, but we must watch the science carefully. Meanwhile, read product labels before you buy, and make informed choices.
Web Extra
Full interview with Heather Stapleton, assistant professor of environmental chemistry at the Nichollas School of the Environment at Duke University…
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Stapleton_full-interview_edited.mp3|titles=Stapleton_full interview_edited]Photo, taken on February 24, 2009 using a Canon PowerShot SD1000, courtesy of Greg Habermann via Flickr.