Protect Lake Michigan News

CHICAGO, IL – The toxic, endocrine disrupting chemical decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) will be largely phased out of the United States marketplace, according to an announcement today from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has obtained commitments from decaBDE's two U.S. manufacturers and largest U.S. importer to stop producing, using, and importing the chemical by 2013.

“This is a victory for people, the environment, and Lake Michigan” said Max Muller, Program Director at Environment Illinois. “People trust that products manufactured and sold in the United States are safe, but chemicals like decaBDE indicate otherwise. Scientific studies demonstrate decaBDE's neurological and reproductive health effects may already be impacting human health and wildlife. Alternatives are available. We applaud its phase-out.”

“I've worked for years to eliminate these chemicals because their use in products exposes Illinoisans toxics,” said State Representative Elaine Nekritz (Northbrook), who has sponsored legislation to ban decaBDE in the Illinois Legislature. “State legislators across the country raised the alarm before the federal government was acting, and now it's paying off. I'm heartened that U.S. EPA and the chemical companies are moving to protect public health from this chemical.”

According to EPA's announcement, the companies have committed to phase out decaBDE from most uses in the United States by December 31, 2012, and to end all uses by the end of 2013. EPA said that it will encourage other minor importers of decaBDE to join its decaBDE phase-out initiative.

EPA's announcement is available here:
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/deccadbe.html

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• DecaBDE is one congener (form) of a family of flame retardant chemicals called Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which have been added to many products in homes, offices, automobiles, and airplanes. Three mixtures—pentaBDE, octaBDE, and decaBDE—made up 14%, 6%, and 80% of the 1999 worldwide production, respectively.

• PBDEs are intrinsically hazardous because they persist in the environment and do not break down easily, they accumulate in fatty tissues of living animals, and they have a number of toxic properties including the ability to disrupt hormone signals.

• In 2004, manufacturers ended U.S. production of penta and octaBDE, which were commonly used in furniture foams, textiles, kitchen appliances, and electronics, after high levels were found in human breast milk. DecaBDE, however, is still being produced and used primarily in plastic electronics, such as television and computer casings, furniture, and mattresses.

• While chemical makers have for years claimed decaBDE to be safe, scientific studies have found that it breaks down when exposed to sunlight into more persistent, harmful lower brominated congeners (forms) that readily bioaccumlate in the environment. DecaBDE can also cause health effects similar to penta and octaBDE, with studies suggesting it is a neurologic and reproductive toxic and linking it to liver and thyroid problems.

• Since 2005, public health, consumer, and environmental advocates in Illinois have called for passage of a bill, sponsored by Representative Nekritz, to ban decaBDE from electronics casing and home furnishings sold in Illinois. In 2005, Rep. Nekritz sponsored successful legislation banning products containing pentaBDE and octaBDE.

• A 2007 Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) report endorsed a ban on decaBDE. The IEPA report cited scientific findings that decaBDE breaks down into molecules that are more toxic and may mimic human estrogen and thyroid hormones. The report also found that alternative flame retardants are widely used and can be substituted in household consumer products with little or no cost barrier.

• At least four states have passed legislation banning decaBDE.

• Hormone disrupting chemicals like decaBDE are most dangerous to infants and developing children. Studies suggest young children receive up to 300 times greater exposure to PBDEs than adults, primarily from breast milk and inadvertent dust ingestion.

• PBDEs can also endanger firefighters. According to the International Association of Firefighters, "unlike other flame retardants, when PBDEs burn, they release dense fumes, black smoke that reduce visibility, and the highly corrosive gas known as hydrogen bromide." The Associated Firefighters of Illinois, Illinois Firefighters Association, and Illinois Fire Safety Alliance supported the Illinois bill to ban decaBDE.

• In Lake Michigan, PBDEs amass in top predator fish, such as salmon and trout, to a similar extent as their chemical cousins, the notorious PCBs, which were banned 30 years ago but are still the number one cause of advisories against fish consumption in Illinois.

• A 2007 study sponsored by Environment Illinois and advocates in six other states tested 35 Americans—including five Illinoisans—for decaBDE. The study found detectable levels of decaBDE in all but one participant.

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