[Pharmwaste] Fire Retardants Linked With Health Problems

[DeBiasi,Deborah]

http://cbs5.com/local/consumer.watch.flame.2.661700.html

Fire Retardants Linked With Health Problems

 Reporting
Jeanette Pavini (CBS 5) There's a heated debate raging in Sacramento
over the state's strict flammability standards for furniture. At issue,
whether the chemicals used to save lives are actually making people and
pets sick. 

California's fire standards for furniture are the toughest in the
country. AB 706 authored by Assemblyman Mark Leno, would outlaw
halogenated flame retardants which are linked to cancer, birth defects,
learning disabilities and a host of other health issues in humans and in
pets. 

Leno and others say that fatalities from house fires have decreased as
smoke detectors, sprinklers and self extinguishing cigarettes have
become commonplace. San Francisco home owner Ron Regina's home is
decorated with meticulous care, but he felt the need to test his
furniture for halogenated flame retardants. 

Russell Long of Friends of the Earth used a hand held device called an
XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence Gun) to test for the chemicals, and found high
levels of bromine in virtually every piece of upholstered furniture in
Regina's home. 

"The whole thing is really disturbing because I buy organic food, I go
to the gym, I take care of myself, and I buy less toxic cleaning
ingredients. You think you're doing everything right, but here you
are..." 

When buying furniture, you can't tell from the label whether it contains
flame retardants. They are sprayed on foam cushions inside all kinds of
upholstery. 

The problem is that these chemicals, linked to cancer and birth defects,
don't stay put. They migrate from the furniture into the air, the dust,
the waterways, and end up in fish, animals and people. 

Friends of the Earth found that over two- thirds of furniture in S.F.
Bay Area stores, and half of the furniture in homes contains halogenated
flame retardants. 

Studies show flame retardant chemicals have been detected in blue whales
in the Arctic and harbor seals in San Francisco Bay. Closer to home,
housecats could be the proverbial canary in the coal mine; since they
sleep on the furniture, and ingest dust, their exposure to the chemicals
is high. 

And even the Environmental Protection Agency suggests cats are paying a
price with their health. Before the 1970's, hyperthyroidism in cats was
virtually unknown. Today it is one of the leading killers of cats. 

The rise in the disease coincides with the introduction of flame
retardants in the 1970's. While California is the only state in the
country with these standards, these flame retardants are found in homes
in every state. 

Manufactures meet California's standards for all of their furniture, so
that they won't have to worry about carrying two different sets of
inventory. Assemblyman Mark Leno has legislation pending that would
outlaw the use of these chemicals as flame retardants. 

Supporters say there are safer chemicals and materials. Meanwhile, the
industry is taking credit for the lower death rates found across the
country from fatal house fires. 

There are ways to achieve fire safety without using chemicals. Certain
natural materials are flame resistant, and manufacturers have also made
great strides in creating fire resistant fabrics. 

Furniture Companies that do not use halogenated flame retardants 
Green Sage Furniture, www.greensage.com , Montauk Furniture
www.montauksofa.com ,Cisco Brothers Furniture, Basal Living Collection
line, www.ciscobrothers.com ,Verellen Home Collection,
www.verellenhc.com . 

For more information: www.foe.org, www.bluewaternetwork.org 


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
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
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