Latest Flame retardants Stories

Three recent studies suggest polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, may alter the development of brain cells. They linked exposure of PCBs, chemicals found in the environment and sometimes in fish, to neurodevelopmental problems in children.PCBs were banned in the 1970s due to their high toxicity and inability to break down in the environment. Prior to the ban, PCBs were used in electronics, pesticides and flame retardants. Today, traces of the chemical dumped into the environment in years past...

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When plastic pallets were first introduced to the market, they created a fire hazard which led insurance companies and fire regulators to require a two-class upgrade for warehouse sprinkler systems in plants using plastic pallets. Some plastic pallet manufacturers have added the chemical fire retardant deca-bromine to the petroleum-based polymer pallets. According to a lifecycle analysis by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) who...

Health Care Concerns Also NotedNOAA scientists, in a first-of-its-kind report issued today, state that Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), chemicals commonly used in commercial goods as flame retardants since the 1970s, are found in all United States coastal waters and the Great Lakes, with elevated levels near urban and industrial centers. The new findings are in contrast to analysis of samples as far back as 1996 that identified PBDEs in only a limited number of sites around the...

U.S. researchers say endangered orcas, or killer whales, living in Puget Sound are among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world. The report, published in published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, says the orcas are exposed to PCBs, flame retardants and other persistent organic pollution concentrations in Chinook salmon, the Seattle Times report Thursday. The southern resident population of orcas eat large numbers of Chinook salmon that come from areas with...

Two U.S. researchers advise consumers to think twice about spending money on a commercial flame retardant for a Christmas tree. Drs. Gary Chastagner of Washington State University's Puyallup Research Center and Eric Hinesley of North Carolina State University, tested two flame retardants on Douglas-fir and Fraser fir, and neither showed any benefit to the trees. Many cities and municipalities require that chemical flame retardants be used on cut Christmas trees displayed in public...

Striped bass in the San Francisco Estuary are contaminated before birth with a toxic mix of pesticides, industrial chemicals and flame retardants that their mothers acquire from estuary waters and food sources and pass on to their eggs, say UC Davis researchers.Using new analytical techniques, the researchers found that offspring of estuary fish had underdeveloped brains, inadequate energy supplies and dysfunctional livers. They grew slower and were smaller than offspring of hatchery fish...

Higher level of flame-retardant chemical found in Californians' blood LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Californians have twice as much of a flame-retardant chemical in their blood than other Americans, according to a new study available here on Friday. Meanwhile, Californians have 10 times more of the chemical in their homes than elsewhere in the country, said the study published in the Oct. issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Children and infants, who may be more...

By Marla Cone; Environmental Health News Californians have the world's highest levels of toxic flame retardants in their homes and in their bodies, according to new scientific findings published Wednesday. Household dust tested in Richmond and Bolinas had four to ten times more brominated flame retardants than other American homes and 200 times more than European homes. Statewide, Californians had twice as much in their blood than other U.S. residents. The lower the income, the more...

Residents of California have significantly higher levels of toxic flame retardants compared to other locations in the country or world, researchers said. Flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, can further break down into pentabromodiphenyl ether, or penta BDEs. A study, published online in Environmental Science & Technology, said California's unique furniture flammability standard -- requiring furniture to be fire resistant to an open flame for 12 seconds, has...

NEWTON, Mass., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- People and homes in California have been found to have significantly higher levels of toxic flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), compared to other locations in the country and the world. A new peer-reviewed study published online in Environmental Science & Technology provides evidence that California's unique furniture flammability standard, requiring furniture to be fire resistant to an open flame for 12 seconds, has led to...