Chemicals Used as Fire Retardants Could Be Harmful

Many objects in the typical household have been treated with a chemical agent that acts like a fire retardant. Products typically treated include toasters, televisions, computers, and even furniture. In a recent press release, researchers have questioned their safety.

The chemicals that are used to retard fires are polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, announced that they have discovered that these chemicals are also being found in humans - both in our blood and perhaps even more concerning, they are even found in breast milk.

Researchers have determined that when ingested by rats, PBDEs alter the way that hormones work. Additionally, these chemical compounds change how calcium signals in the brain work. Calcium is important because it is used to help trigger our brains ability to store memories, and learn.

Even though they are no longer produced in America, they continue to be used as fire retardants. States that have more stringent fire retardant standards for consumer goods also have higher amounts of PBDEs in those consumer products.

These chemicals get released into the air from household goods and the dust that accumulates on them. This means that both pets and people are always exposed to PBDE chemicals.

Further, when household waste includes the products that contain PBDE chemicals, those toxicants are released into the environment when they are put in landfills or are incinerated incompletely. In addition to being found in products, they are now found in water, soil, and the air that we breathe.

The scientists believe that the levels of PBDEs continue to increase and have said that these chemicals are being investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine more about their toxicity.

California has one of the most stringent laws regulations regarding product and flammability. It is likely that products sold in California also have the highest levels of PBDEs in those products, too.

There are different types of PBDEs that are regulated. Some of them will be outlawed in California in January 2008.

"Long-term exposures to PBDEs may pose a human health risk, especially to infants and toddlers who are more likely to ingest household dust or acquire these chemicals through mother's milk. How much PBDE in the body is considered safe is yet to be determined and will require further federal and state research funding," said Margarita Curras-Collazo, an associate professor of cell biology and neuroscience.

This study will be published in the journal, Neurochemical Research, but it is currently available online. To read the full paper, click HERE.

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/uoc--cua121007.php