[Pharmwaste] Maine - Debate over flame retardant limits marked by ad blitz

[DeBiasi,Deborah]

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070419/NEWS0104/7041
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Thursday, April 19, 2007 
Debate over flame retardant limits marked by ad blitz


AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ A newspaper, television and radio advertising
blitz targets a bill before the Legislature that would make Maine the
next state to phase out the use of certain flame retardants in furniture
and plastic-covered consumer products.

The bill, similar to one signed into law Tuesday by Washington's
governor, is supported by the state fire marshal and firefighters'
associations. But full-page ads that have been appearing in Maine
newspapers, bearing the title "False Alarm," say the measure is unneeded
and riddled with exemptions.

The proposal calls for a phase-out of the use of the so-called "deca"
forms of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, also known as PBDEs, in
mattresses and upholstered furniture starting next January. They would
be banned in televisions, computers and other plastic-cased home
electronics by Jan. 1, 2010.

A work session on the bill before the Committee on Natural Resources
that was scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed to next Tuesday. But
the debate continues in full-page ads purchased by the Bromine Science
and Environmental Forum and in the State House hallways.

The sponsor, House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, calls her bill one of
the most important this session addressing chemical pollutants in the
environment.

The North Haven Democrat said there's "significant" scientific evidence
that the absorption of PBDE "is a very real threat to women and
children, because these chemicals are passed to infants through breast
milk and to children through contact with household dust."

Pingree's legislation builds on legislation she sponsored in 2004 and
was enacted. That phased out two forms of PBDEs known as penta and octa,
and set a goal of phasing out the most widely used PBDE, deca, by 2008.

Firefighters in Maine say the chemical becomes more dangerous after it
burns because it turns into a noxious gas that can be breathed in or
absorbed through the skin. They also say equally effective alternatives
are available.

Supporters, who include the Professional Firefighters of Maine, Maine
Fire Chiefs Association and Fire Marshal John Dean, say the opponents'
ads are misleading and leave an erroneous suggestion that the bill would
outlaw all fire retardants.

Dean, also president of the National Association of State Fire Marshals,
said he has followed the issue for years and is satisfied that safe
alternatives to deca are available.

"Whatever we do, I don't want people losing their lives and property,"
Dean said.

Supporters of the Maine legislation note that the industry staged a
similar ad blitz in Washington before Gov. Chris Gregoire made her state
the nation's first to enact a bill phasing out the fire retardant. They
say PDBE bans have also been introduced in a half-dozen other states.

In Maine, several health and environmental groups have stepped forward
in support of the Pingree's bill.

The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, an industry association of
manufacturers of bromines and other flame retardants, says on its Web
site that Maine lawmakers "are playing with fire" in considering
Pingree's bill.

John Kyte, the group's North American program director, agreed Wednesday
that there are alternatives to deca. But he said the problem is that
manufacturers can't always substitute for it without having to change
the design of their products or kinds of plastics they use.

Kyte said that by taking away from manufacturers the most cost-effective
and efficient flame retardant, some may reconsider whether to use flame
retardants in their products at all. He acknowledged that some
manufacturers are dropping deca, but questioned whether they are simply
bowing to pressure from environmentalists and avoiding bad publicity.

His group says that in three decades of use in thousands of industrial
and household products, deca-BDE has never been shown to cause health
problems or environmental harm.

It also said "loopholes" allowed in the bill raise question as to
whether PDBEs really is a threat to the environment and public health.


Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!)
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028
FAX:      804-698-4032