Saturday, November 03, 2007
Are flame-retardants harming us?
By Phillip T. Alden – San Mateo Daily Journal
For publication: November 6, 2007
Sometimes I wonder just how seriously the Environmental Protection Agency takes its middle name. From independent groups funding scientific research because the EPA refuses to do so, to lead-painted toys making their way into our children's hands, one must wonder how badly the agency wishes to protect us.
Such is the problem with flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, (PBDEs.) Like many of these substances which surround us; in this case upholstery, mattresses, fax machines, carpets, car seats, computers and household wiring; the EPA depends upon industry testing and resists calls to ban or label PBDEs. Asking a $2.9 billion dollar a year industry to police itself and ban its own products? Does that make sense to you?
In addition, the industry grandfathered in thousands of substances before the passage of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. This was done partially as a bow to reality. At the time there were millions of substances in America, too many to realistically rid ourselves of, but the industry did not discontinue the production of PBDE until 2005.
And the flame retardant industry did not do this out of concern for the public good. A report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences showing that PBDE levels in American infants were two-three times higher than in adults scared the industry into stopping production for fear of huge payouts from lawsuits.
According to an article by Terry J. Allen from In These Times; "the link between inhaled PBDE and thyroid disease was strengthened by a recent study on cats. Environmental Science and Technology traced an epidemic of deadly feline hyperthyroid disease back to the 80's when PBDEs first proliferated." Cats were vulnerable because, like infants, they live close to the ground. The tests performed on the cats showed "a clear association" between PBDE and thyroid problems.
The problem is in the dust. It was assumed that most PBDE contamination came from eating meat, fish and dairy, but now researchers are studying indoor air where the concentrations are 15 to 50 times higher than outside sources. What they discovered was that PBDEs emit gas at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a common temperature inside cars, computers and houses. The gas then clings to dust particles that we breathe.
One of my many criticisms of the current Bush Administration and the rubber-stamp Congress that controlled our government until 2006 was the lack of regulation and oversight. It seemed the regulatory agencies were asleep while Americans experienced poisoned food for both humans and pets, and the importation of products from countries like China that turned out to contain toxics like lead paint.
In many cases the regulatory agencies had no clue that something was wrong until people started getting sick and/or dying. The FDA, EPA and CDC became increasingly politicized, making it harder for the scientists to do their jobs, and in many cases intimidated into letting things slide for the sake of political expediency. The Bush Administration placed people from industry into key positions in these agencies to benefit those industries at the expense of the American people. The problem got so bad at the CDC that some employees launched a website called CDC Chatter to give employees a chance to speak out anonymously.
We need to strengthen our regulatory agencies, remove the undo influence of the industries involved, and get the focus back on protecting the American people. Americans are tired of being blindsided by men who care more about profit than the public good.
By Phillip T. Alden – San Mateo Daily Journal
For publication: November 6, 2007
Sometimes I wonder just how seriously the Environmental Protection Agency takes its middle name. From independent groups funding scientific research because the EPA refuses to do so, to lead-painted toys making their way into our children's hands, one must wonder how badly the agency wishes to protect us.
Such is the problem with flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, (PBDEs.) Like many of these substances which surround us; in this case upholstery, mattresses, fax machines, carpets, car seats, computers and household wiring; the EPA depends upon industry testing and resists calls to ban or label PBDEs. Asking a $2.9 billion dollar a year industry to police itself and ban its own products? Does that make sense to you?
In addition, the industry grandfathered in thousands of substances before the passage of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. This was done partially as a bow to reality. At the time there were millions of substances in America, too many to realistically rid ourselves of, but the industry did not discontinue the production of PBDE until 2005.
And the flame retardant industry did not do this out of concern for the public good. A report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences showing that PBDE levels in American infants were two-three times higher than in adults scared the industry into stopping production for fear of huge payouts from lawsuits.
According to an article by Terry J. Allen from In These Times; "the link between inhaled PBDE and thyroid disease was strengthened by a recent study on cats. Environmental Science and Technology traced an epidemic of deadly feline hyperthyroid disease back to the 80's when PBDEs first proliferated." Cats were vulnerable because, like infants, they live close to the ground. The tests performed on the cats showed "a clear association" between PBDE and thyroid problems.
The problem is in the dust. It was assumed that most PBDE contamination came from eating meat, fish and dairy, but now researchers are studying indoor air where the concentrations are 15 to 50 times higher than outside sources. What they discovered was that PBDEs emit gas at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a common temperature inside cars, computers and houses. The gas then clings to dust particles that we breathe.
One of my many criticisms of the current Bush Administration and the rubber-stamp Congress that controlled our government until 2006 was the lack of regulation and oversight. It seemed the regulatory agencies were asleep while Americans experienced poisoned food for both humans and pets, and the importation of products from countries like China that turned out to contain toxics like lead paint.
In many cases the regulatory agencies had no clue that something was wrong until people started getting sick and/or dying. The FDA, EPA and CDC became increasingly politicized, making it harder for the scientists to do their jobs, and in many cases intimidated into letting things slide for the sake of political expediency. The Bush Administration placed people from industry into key positions in these agencies to benefit those industries at the expense of the American people. The problem got so bad at the CDC that some employees launched a website called CDC Chatter to give employees a chance to speak out anonymously.
We need to strengthen our regulatory agencies, remove the undo influence of the industries involved, and get the focus back on protecting the American people. Americans are tired of being blindsided by men who care more about profit than the public good.
# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 2:54 PM 
