Got flame retardant in your blood? EPA says, “Just say yes.”

The EPA recently fired a scientific member of a review panel on PBDE toxicity at the urging of the chemical industry’s lobbying group, the American Chemistry Council. Boo-yah for federal regulatory agencies! It’s nice to know that scientists who offer opinions in contrast to corporate lobbyists are vulnerable to the boot. Also comforting to know that tax dollars are being spent on reports which are carefully excised of any information that might actually alter the behavior of corporate polluters.

Why not just can the EPA altogether and save some money?

PBDE Risk in Babies and Toddlers

At issue is the chemical PBDE, a flame retardant found in many household products, including computer and electronics plastics, foam padding and even food packaging. PBDEs have been found to build up in the bodies and blood of those exposed. PBDE is a concern for parents, as research suggests that decaBDE, a type of polybrominated diphenyl ethers flame retardant, may be an endocrine disruptor and developmental neurotoxicant.

PBDEs have been found in mother’s milk, umbilical cord blood, and in household dust, to which babies and toddlers are more regularly exposed given their increased time spent crawling and mouthing objects. Due to their small size and immature systems, babies and toddlers are also more susceptible to the potential damage of toxins to their developing brain, nervous, and reproductive systems.

In studies by the Environmental Working Group, it was found that toddlers and preschoolers typically had three times the concentration of PBDE chemicals in their blood as their mothers. And, in the U.S. levels of PBDE flame retardant in people appear to be increasing, whereas blood levels in Japan and Europe are actually 10 to 100 times lower, possibly due to regulation and decreased usage of these chemicals in household products in those countries.

The Detroit News interviewed Donele Wilkins who learned that she and her son had elevated levels of PBDE’s in their blood system after participating in a study through the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor:

I said, “I don’t have flame retardant material in my house. Where did it come from? From the study, I learned I do have things in the house: The couch I purchased contained certain toxins. The pillows contained certain materials.”

EPA Fires Scientist for Opinion on PBDEs

The use of all types of PBDEs has been banned in Europe. Yet, apparently the opinion of Deborah C. Rice — a former senior EPA scientist and currently a toxicologist with the state of Maine — was considered so controversial as to warrant her firing from a peer review panel hosted by the EPA. According to Chemical and Engineering News:

Rice is a world-class toxicologist, according to several toxicologists interviewed by C&EN, some of whom are associated with EPA and did not wish to comment publicly. She was a toxicologist with Health Canada and the U.S. EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment, which is conducting the PBDE review.

Dr. Rice’s testimony regarding her removal by the EPA recounted the events:

In May 2007, I received a telephone call from Dr. George Gray informing me that EPA had received a letter from the American Chemistry Council requesting that I be removed from the panel, on the grounds that my comments in Maine concerning deca BDE reflected bias. The ACC further argued that they disagreed with results in a scientific research paper that I co-authored published subsequent to the EPA review… My comments for all four chemicals were removed from a revised peer review report published in August, and my name erased from the document.

I believe that having an informed scientific opinion constitutes neither bias nor conflict of interest. Indeed, if this is the definition of bias, then only individuals who are uninformed on a particular chemical would be considered suitable to serve as peer reviewers… The only evidence provided by the ACC that I performed in a biased manner with regard to the peer review was that they disagreed that deca BDE produces a specific health effect.

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The events are quite alarming and raise a red flag as the extent to which corporate lobbyists hold sway over issues that effect the public health. Apparently lobbyists wish to redefine the phrase “conflict of interest” to suit their pocketbooks, where a conflict of interest represents any informed opinion that differs from that specifically approved by influential lobbying bodies, read: corporations’ bottom lines.

The EPA and the ACC lobbyist group are now the subject of a probe by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and lawmakers John D. Dingell (D-MI), the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak (D-MI), the Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

The Environmental Working Group, influential in monitoring and reporting on the events, made the following statement:

To our knowledge, EPA’s decision to remove Dr. Rice as chair of the Deca review panel represents the first time EPA has kicked a scientist off any panel for expressing concern about a chemical’s health risks.

Removing panelists because they state their concerns about a chemical’s toxicity, while promoting scientists with clear financial ties to the regulated industry, sends a dangerous signal that EPA will not tolerate the views of individuals who believe in precaution in the face of evidence that a chemical presents a legitimate health risk.

In an interview with Chemistry World, Sonya Luder of EWG stated:

It is scary when we take the limited pool of independent public sector scientists and declare that they are the ones with the conflict.

Alternatives to PBDEs Do Exist

What is important to note is that alternate, safer methods do exist for reducing flammability of household products. In fact, companies like Dell, Hewlett-Packard (including Compaq), Sony, IBM, Ericsson, Apple, Panasonic, and Intel have already phased out PBDEs in their European markets to comply with eco-labeling and consumer demand. Among other scientific resources available, Denmark’s Environmental Protection Agency actually published a report documenting alternate flame retardants.

What You Can Do

For what you can do in your own household, read my post on how to avoid exposure to PBDEs. It’s possible through smart green consumerism and a little elbow grease to reduce the risk of PBDE toxicity to your family.

Consider writing to your representatives about your concerns on PBDE exposure. To help support whistleblowers and oversight, you can donate directly to the Environmental Working Group, a four-star charity as rated by Charity Navigator.

Now that I’ve written up my post, I’m fuming a bit less vociferously! But hopefully I’ve prompted some others into awareness. Our bodies, our selves!

Love,

Mama Hope

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