Scientific
Studies: PBDE: The Cost of Safety
MCS America News, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2008.
There is a price living organisms pay for the fire safety flame retardants
provide. The precautionary principle warrants more investigation into the
use of flame retardants, particularly polybrominated diphenyl ethers
(PBDEs). While the chance of a fire is slim, the chances of
exposure to PBDEs is much greater.
PBDEs are a group of brominated compounds used as flame retardants since the
1970s. PBDEs are added to furniture, textiles, and electronic equipment
as a flame retardant when these goods are manufactured.
Some PBDEs are in the process of being phased out in the
Human Exposure Pathways
Studies have found increasing PBDE concentrations in breast milk, showing that
it not only enters the human body, but is passed on to infants through
feeding. PBDEs concentrations in infants are often greater than in
adults, indicating PBDE bioaccumulates and passes from mother to child.
Research has shown a strong positive correlation between the concentration of
PBDEs in breast milk and that of household dust. This indicates that PBDEs from
products within our homes are contaminating dust, and likely airspace as well.
Children are much more vulnerable to this exposure for two reasons.
First, they have a smaller body size and the same exposure is more concentrated
for their size. Second, children have an increased frequency of
hand-to-mouth contact. The risk of averse affects is greater during the early
stages of childhood development.
Adverse Effects
Though data is still lacking, scientists do know that PBDE toxicity affects
thyroid function. It also alters neurotransmitter function in the brain,
leading to cognitive and neurological deficits.
Juhasz and his colleagues concluded their review of PBDEs in the Lancet by
summarizing that “the challenge for environmental health professionals is to
enhance the understanding of factors that affect the fate, transport, and
bioavailability of PBDEs in indoor environments, to develop biomarkers for the
assessment of exposure to PBDEs, and to elucidate the effect of such exposure
in susceptible populations.” In the meantime, doesn’t common sense
indicate we should avoid PBDEs?
Reference
Copyrighted © 2008 MCS America