PBDEs: "The New PCBs" (Don't Forget to Mop!)

Add the acronym PBDE to the list of toxic substances about which activists are expressing concern.

A family of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers -- PBDEs for short -- widely used in polyurethane furniture foam and plastic TV and computer monitors, have been found to be collecting in the bodies and breast milk of human beings over the past 30 years. They also have been found in wildlife, house dust, and our food. Kids can get elevated PBDE levels simply from dust encountered while playing on the floor. Some scientists believe PBDEs can result in children’s delayed development, including learning and behavioral problems.

A report released this week by The Green Guide, which reports on green consumer products and behaviors, spells out the dangers and points to safer alternative fire-retardants, along with some shopping and housekeeping tips to help us reduce our exposure. (Full disclosure: I sit on Green Guide Institute’s board of directors.)

The report comes on the heels of other recent findings about PBDEs, including one last month cited in Environmental Science & Technology magazine that showed the highest concentrations of PBDEs yet reported in humans. Another report, from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, examined the presence of PBDEs in breast milk. It found “unexpectedly high levels of these little-known neurotoxic chemicals in every participant tested.”

Like PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides such as DDT, PBDEs are persistent organic pollutants -- POPs, in the argot of environmental science. Stored in fat, PBDEs and other POPs can stay in the body for years before being even partially eliminated. This has resulted in their rising levels in recent decades in the bodies of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans.

The Europeans already are on the case. A law known as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) directive requires that PBDEs be removed from all new electrical and electronic equipment by July 1, 2006. Some companies are already there, or are getting close. According to Green Guide, Sony, Motorola, and Intel use no PBDEs; HP monitors are PBDE-free; and Apple, Canon, Hitachi, Panasonic, NEC, and Toshiba have reduced their use of PBDEs.

But it’s not just electronics we need to watch. According to Green Guide’s research:

PBDEs are in catfish, salmon, hot dogs, and the cheese we put on those dogs. In fact, excluding skim milk, every animal-derived product tested . . . was contaminated with PBDEs, though these levels varied greatly from salmon to evaporated milk . . . A 2002 Japanese study in Chemosphere found, “There was a strong positive relationship between PBDE concentrations in human milk and dietary intake of fish and shellfish, which was established in the women from responses to a questionnaire on food consumption habits.”

Green Guide is quick to add: “But there’s no reason to panic. The good news is that simple daily lifestyle choices can have a comprehensive healthy effect, counteracting potential risks from the wide range of chemicals we are exposed to, including those that threaten children’s development.”

Among the precautionary steps it recommends:

• Eat less farmed fish (no more than once per month), especially European and U.S. salmon, which have been shown to have high levels of PBDE. Choose wild Alaskan, fresh, or canned salmon instead.

• Clean floors with a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner that traps fine particles of dust, soot, and pollen, and wet mop regularly. It’s also important to keep your home well-ventilated. This will help reduce concentrations of other forms of indoor air pollution.

• Cover and seal rips in upholstery that expose polyurethane foam, especially if the foam is loose and crumbling, a condition that may encourage the release of PBDEs into house dust and air

• Contact your mattress manufacturer to see whether your mattress contains PBDEs. If it does, but you aren’t ready to replace your mattress, consider purchasing a tightly woven, allergen-barrier mattress casing to reduce PBDEs leaching into your air and a HEPA air filter to capture any that do.

To help make informed purchases, Green Guide offers a free, downloadable wallet card with tips for buying everything from furniture to fish. The full report can be purchased from the Green Guide site.