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Fire Retardants
people with high levels
of brominated fire retardant in their house dust are five times more likely to
develop thyroid cancer
By Katelyn Michaud
MPH, BSc Biochemistry
Every
year home fires cause over $7 billion of damage in about 366,000 homes in the
United States.
Fire
retardants, chemicals designed to reduce the flammability of commercial and
consumer products, have been used for decades in the United States and the
world.
While
fire retardants do minimize the risk of fire in many consumer goods, some
classes of fire retardants are harmful to the environment and human health.
Inorganic
Inorganic
fire retardants are often found in paint, adhesive, wire and cables, and fabric
coatings.
A
variety of inorganic compounds are used, but the most common are hydrated
aluminum and magnesium oxide, and they are often combined with the other fire
retardant classes.
Inorganic
fire retardants slow down the process of decomposition and release of flammable
gases.
Fire
Retardant Safety
In
the past decade, several major research studies have concluded most fire
retardants, especially halogenated fire retardants and organ phosphorus fire
retardants, are associated with many environmental and human health concerns.
Halogenated
(also known as organohalogen) flame retardants contain bromine or chlorine
bonded to a carbon molecule.
Organophosphorous
fire retardants include a phosphorus atom bonded to a carbon molecule.
Substances
with these chemical bonds are considered Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
POPs
have been shown to present significant health risks to both humans and the
environment. Unlike other chemicals, POPs do not break down into safer
chemicals in the environment and remain intact and potentially harmful for many
years.
POPs
are widely distributed throughout the world in soil, air, and water due to
natural environmental cycles.
Since
POPs are found throughout the natural environment, they accumulate in the
adipose (fat) tissue of living organisms, including humans and animals.
Many
humans and animals travel all over the world unknowingly spreading POPs
everywhere they go into the environment. Researchers have found POPs as far
away as the Artic Circle.
Human
Health Risks
Fire
retardants enjoy widespread use.
One
study published in Environmental Science & Technology found compounds
thought to be no longer used in the United States due to health concerns are
still prevalent in crib mattresses, changing table pads, and car seats.
Researchers
at the University of California at Berkeley discovered that with each tenfold
increase of brominated fire retardants in a mother's blood, there was an
associated 115-gram decrease in her baby's birth weight.
.
Thyroid
cancer has increased over 270% in the past 20 years and is one of the ten most
common cancers in the United States.
.
Thyroid cancer
|
Duke
University researchers have found that people with high levels of brominated
fire retardant in their house dust are five times more likely to develop
thyroid cancer.
.
.
According
to several key animal studies, certain classes of fire retardants, like
brominated fire retardants, can act as endocrine-disrupting compounds and
interfere with normal thyroid functions.
In 1977, chlorinated Tris, a popular fire retardant
used in children's pajamas, was identified as a carcinogen and barred from use.
However, chlorinated Tris is still commonly
found without warning labels in couch cushions and nursing pillows throughout
the United States.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has been working with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
manufacturers to voluntarily phase out the use the use of PBDEs since
2004.
PBDEs have been linked to lower
IQ and delayed mental and physical development in children.
Unfortunately, new fire retardants with
similar chemical structures to PBDEs have been entering the market in recent
years with unknown health risks.
Environmental Risks
Since the 1970s, fire retardants have been
added to various commercial and consumer products during the manufacturing
process or sprayed onto the product afterward.
Due to their application process, fire
retardants routinely escape as vapor or airborne particles that have a tendency
to stick to surfaces or settle as dust in the environment.
Once released, fire retardants can build up in
the soil, water, and air.
Scientists have found high levels of PBDEs
in sperm whales and other arctic
animals that spend their time thousands of miles away from any
human sources suggesting that PBDEs and fire retardants can travel by water and
air currents.
In the 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC), the CDC found 97% of
Americans had detectable levels of fire retardants in their blood, and those
aged between 12 and 19 had the highest levels.
Reducing Exposure
Unfortunately, fire retardants are everywhere
so eliminating your exposure to them is impossible.
However, you can take steps to reduce exposure
to toxic fire retardants. Numerous studies have linked several classes of fire
retardants to long-term health issues.
The California Childcare Health Program suggests the
following simple steps to reduce your exposure:
· Wash
your hands routinely throughout the day because fire retardants are commonly
found on the hands and can be ingested during hand to mouth contact.
· Reduce
dust in the home by using a vacuum with a HEPA filter and wet mop.
· Avoid
PBDE-treated foam. Foam that is labeled as "California TB 117" is
likely to contain harmful fire retardants like PBDEs.
· Limit
the number of carpets and drapery in your home as the fabric was probably
treated with a fire retardant.
· Choose
wooden furniture or furniture containing polyester, down, wool, or cotton as
they are usually not treated with fire retardants.
· Prevent
kids from placing electronic devices, cell phones and remote controls, in their
mouths because electronics are often still treated with PBDEs and other fire
retardants.
· Seek
products, such as furniture, that is manufactured without flame
retardants. However, keep in mind labeling isn't mandatory, so you not know for
sure whether the products are free of these chemicals unless they are
labeled flame retardant-free.
About Fire Retardants
Fire retardants, also known as flame
retardants, are a chemical substance used in commercial and consumer products,
like furniture, building materials, and electronics, to meet the flammability
standards put forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The federal flammability standards were first
created in the US Flammable Fabrics Act in 1953.
This Act regulated the manufacture of highly
flammable clothing after a series of horrific deaths of several children
wearing rayon in the 1940s.
The Act was modified in 1967 to include
furniture, foam, plastic, and other materials used for clothing and
conventional building materials and furnishings.
Tobacco companies under pressure in the 1980s
to develop a "fire-safe" cigarette pushed the use of fire retardants, especially
in furniture because smoldering cigarettes is one of the leading causes of
house fires.
Instead of spending money to develop a new
type of cigarette, tobacco company executives and lobbyists organized the
National Association of State Fire Marshalls and pushed for flame-retardant
furniture.
Today, fire retardants are commonly found in
electronics, building insulation, polyurethane foam, and hundreds of products
throughout your house.
Limit and Protect Your
Exposure
Fire retardants are commonly used throughout
the world in commercial and consumer products to reduce the flammability of
products, and avoiding exposure is impossible.
To reduce your chances of developing any
adverse health effects related to fire retardants, take simple steps to limit
your exposure to toxic fire retardants.
Katelyn Michaud is a freelance writer and travel blogger from
Portland, Maine. Katelyn has written many articles about topics such as travel,
health and fitness, personal finance, and science. Her work has been published
on World Nomads, Fitness Goals, Go Backpacking, among others.
Science Expertise
With a Bachelor's degree in
biochemistry and a Master's degree in Public Health, Katelyn spent over five
years in academic research studying everything from the genetics of childhood
ovarian cancer to tracking climate change through pine pollen to determining
the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Haiti.
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