We’re surrounded by flame retardants. They are in our couches and cars, our televisions and laptops, in industrial electronics and children’s pajamas.
Flame retardants are a billion dollar industry. By stopping fires, they save lives and reduce economic losses. But, since their inception, they’ve been plagued with health concerns.
When flame retardants breakdown, their dust is inhaled and ingested. Due to exposure, all Americans have traces of flame retardants in our bodies.
Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs were among the first flame retardants and eventually banned due to their toxicity and ability to disrupt hormones.
There has been growing concern about the safety of brominated flame retardants. Due to low cost and high efficiency, they are the most widely used retardants, with some 75 varieties on the market. But they share a trait with PCBs: they accumulate in the environment.
How did flame retardants become so pervasive in the U.S.? Recently, the Chicago Tribune ran an investigative series highlighting the role that big tobacco played in launching the flame retardant industry.
To minimize fire deaths related to cigarette smoking, tobacco interests went to great lengths to reduce the flammability of the home environment.
But evidence is bearing out that the safety afforded by retardants has been overstated. Lobbyists, paid experts, and strange bedfellows have prevented honest inquiry into the true cost of retardants, especially in our homes.
As we begin to understand the scope of their health impacts—from abnormal brain development to cancer and infertility—let’s continue to keep the debate public.
Web Links
Playing with Fire: Chemical companies, Big Tobacco and the toxic products in your home, http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html
Brominated Flame Retardants: Cause for Concern?
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.6559
Photo, taken on June 12, 2006, courtesy of Bruce via Flickr.