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June 15, 2005
PBDE-Free Shopping
Because NEW has done a study on the high levels of PBDEs in northwesterners, people often ask us about what they can do to protect themselves and their children from the toxic flame retardants.
A good new resource on this topic is Green Guide's handy clip-and-save Smart Shoppers PBDE card (pdf). The card gives general tips on avoiding toxics in your diet and--most useful--lists computer and furniture companies that have chosen not to use PBDEs in their products, including Intel, Motorola, IKEA, and Lifekind. (Green Guide also has a good article summarizing the risks of PBDEs.)
It's worth keeping in mind, though, that ultimately the best way to avoid PBDEs--which have been found in everything from dust to grocery store food--is to phase them out of all new products and get rid of old PBDE-laden products. They are so ubiquitous that exposure isn't a choice. So consumers need to pay attention to policy as well, as the mothers from our study know well. (To see what your region is doing to phase out PBDEs, go here.)
Posted by Elisa Murray | Permalink
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Talk about safety - check this out:
What’s in Your Home? Determination of PBDEs in Carpet Samples and Mattress Pads.
Heather M. Stapleton
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
Studies have measured the flame retardant chemicals polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in human tissues which included breast milk, serum and adipose tissues1,2. These studies have shown that PBDE concentrations are approximately 20 times higher in individuals from the United States relative to individuals from the European Union3. This geographic difference introduces questions regarding human exposure to PBDEs through dietary and indoor exposure routes. PBDEs are used to flame retard a variety of products commonly found within the home and office and include TVs, computers, foam padded furniture and carpets. Recent investigations have measured high levels of PBDEs in house dust4, suggesting that significant exposure may occur within the home. This study was undertaken to identify possible sources of PBDEs to house dust. Two carpet samples and three different carpet paddings were obtained from a local home improvement store. In addition, one egg crate mattress pad was purchased from a department store for analysis of PBDEs within the foam. Preliminary results indicate that pentaBDE was the dominant commercial mixture measured in all samples. The highest concentration of PBDEs was measured in one of the carpet padding samples which is typically applied directly to the floor underneath carpets in homes. One carpet padding sample measured 3.89 mg of total PBDEs in one square inch of material. A room measuring 10 feet by 10 feet which was carpeted and padded with this material would therefore have at least 55 g of PBDEs from the carpet pad alone. The egg crate mattress pad was found to have approximately 100 ng of total PBDEs per square inch of material, 40 ng of which were BDE 209. A comparable queen size mattress pad would therefore have approximately 480 μg of PBDEs within the mattress pad. Two different carpet samples were found to have 20 and 50 ng of total PBDEs per square inch of material. However, the rug samples were difficult to analyze due to matrix effects and more work is being conducted to determine if the carpet samples were efficiently extracted.
Reference List
1. Betts, K. S. Rapidly rising PBDE levels in North America. Environmental Science & Technology 36, 50A-52A (2002).
2. Schecter, A. et al. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in US mothers' milk. Environmental Health Perspectives 111, 1723-1729 (2003).
3. Hites, R. A. Polyhrominated diphenyl ethers in the environment and in people: A meta-analysis of concentrations. Environmental Science & Technology 38, 945-956 (2004).
4. Stapleton, H. M., Dodder, N. G., Offenberg, J. H., Schnatz, M. M. & Wise, S. A. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in House Dust and Clothes Dryer Lint. Environmental Science & Technology 39, 925-931 (2005).
Posted by: Nancy H. | Jun 16, 2005 11:54:27 AM