Flame Retardants under Scrutiny Once Again

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - June 4, 2013 - PRLog -- Last month, concerns over flame retardants and their ongoing impact in young children were in the news once again.  The topic was under the spotlight after researchers studied several hundred pregnant women looking for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in blood samples.  They found that elevated levels of PBDEs correlated with childhood behavior and learning challenges.

PBDEs include a number of commercial versions of the materials.  In 2004, the United States phased out the manufacture and import of several of them.  “PBDEs are not chemically bound to plastics, foam, fabrics, or other products in which they are used, making them more likely to leach out of these products,” reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The agency also states, “EPA is concerned that certain PBDE congeners are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic to both humans and the environment. The critical endpoint of concern for human health is neurobehavioral effects.”

PBDEs are not the only flame retardants under recent scrutiny.  In March, California’s Governor released draft language for new fire safety regulations.  TB 117-2013 was posted for a 45 day public comment period as it aims to improve fire safety without the use of potentially dangerous flame retardant chemicals.  Chlorinated Tris, also known as TDCPP, is one of these chemicals currently used as a flame retardant.  It can be found as an additive in polyurethane foams, resins, plastics, textile coatings and rubber.  Chlorinated Tris has been in use since the 1960s, its use in children’s pajamas was banned in the late 1970s due to concerns over its mutagenic properties.  

“Concerns over whether flame retardants are causing health concerns for children and building occupants in consumer products and people’s homes has brought these chemicals back into the spotlight,” reported Franco Seif, President of Clark Seif Clark (CSC), a leading indoor environmental quality consulting firm.  “Some of these chemicals are still being found almost a decade after their use was banned.  Clark Seif Clark provides testing and consulting services to help prevent exposure to flame retardants that could be causing health concerns.”  

CSC recently sponsored an educational video about health risks due to exposure to chlorinated Tris that can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llz51Eucl6M



To learn more about testing for flame retardants or other indoor environmental concerns, please visit Clark Seif Clark at http://www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.  

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address environmental, IAQ, and health and safety (EH&S) issues.  CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.