Protecting Public Health by Phasing Out Polybrominated Diphenyl  
Ethers (PBDEs) – Toxic Flame Retardants

Whereas Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) accumulate in the food chain, and in the blood and breast milk of nursing mothers, and in the blood of infants; and

Whereas PBDEs are linked to serious health effects including memory impairment, and learning and behavioral problems in laboratory animals at very low levels, and they have also been associated with disruption of thyroid hormone balance, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans, and a variety of cancers in rodents; ii and

Whereas PBDEs are similar in chemical structure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a highly toxic chemical banned in the United States for production in 1977, and for distribution in 1978; and

Whereas Recent scientific studies have documented rapidly rising levels of PBDEs in human breast milk, with levels in Puget Sound women documented at levels from 20 to 40 times higher than their European and Japanese counterparts; and

Whereas PBDE levels are rising in fish, building up in sediment and other aquatic organisms, and fish consumption constitutes a major exposure pathway for humans; and

Whereas Tests for PBDEs in household dust in US homes, including Washington State samples, have revealed high levels of PBDEs in homes; and

Whereas PBDEs can enter the environment during the production and disposal of materials containing PBDE flame-retardants, as well as during the lifetime of PBDE-containing products; and

Whereas Since PBDEs are not chemically bound to plastics, they can evaporate into indoor air or outdoor environments; and

Whereas PBDEs are widely used in upholstered furniture, electronics, automotive interiors, and plastics to slow the spread of fire; and

Whereas Alternative measures including use of less hazardous flame retardant chemicals, and use of less flammable materials in manufacturing are available, and have been adopted for use by companies including IKEA, Intel, and others; and

Whereas Maine and Hawaii banned the use of PBDEs in 2004, and California and Europe banned the use of PBDEs in 2003, in these instances citing the safe, cost-effective alternatives to PBDEs for use as flame retardants; and

Whereas Governor Locke signed an Executive Order in 2004 directing the Washington State Department of Ecology to develop a phase out plan for PBDEs, as part of its larger strategy to phase out persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemicals; and