Hot topic: flame retardants found in food, on floors
May 30, 2012
Waiter! There's HBCD in my soup! It's a hot topic. As the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) and Test Rule for certain flame retardants such as polybrominated diphenylethers or PBDEs, certain agencies are fanning the flames of the fire retardant feud. Chemicals to watch out for include PBBs, PBDEs, TRIS, TEPA, HBCD, SCCP and TCEP. 
Businesses who are not tracking flame retardant materials yet in the supply chain, start now.
In recent months the flame throwing has been largely around furniture and other finished goods. But now, here comes Food & Beverage.
Study finds HBCD in food In a new study from researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health, flame retardant chemicals were found in a significant number of samples taken from popular food items. The chemical traces came not from can linings, as some might expect. They came from simple ambient environmental contamination. This study honed in on detectible levels of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).
"The levels we found are lower than what the government agencies currently think are dangerous," study author Dr. Arnold Schecter, a public health physician at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas, told WebMD. "But those levels were determined one chemical at a time." (Source: CBS news.)
He's right. If we're going to get excited about this, it's the cumulative dusting of aggregate chemical residue that's more to the point. So each ingredient or chemical matters. (Because it doesn't stand alone, it combines with others in food or on living room floors.)
In recent weeks the Chicago Tribune released an expose on brominated flame retardants. I'll pass the series along here -- if you're interested in how the great flame retardant debate is going along, you'll want to know about these articles. This list was sent to me by someone at BizNGO. The actual, physical newspapers containing these articles were handed to me by none other than my wife. (I read them!)
Some of the following material may be a bit left of center. But if your products contain flame retardants, you need to take the pulse of public opinion, predictive market sway and trends in EPA (and FDA?) rules and regulations. Your supply chain and product BOMs depend on it.
Chicago Tribune – Playing with Fire: Chemical companies, Big Tobacco, and the toxic products in your home: http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html
Part One. Fear fans flames for chemical makers: Manufacturers of fire retardants rely on questionable testimony, front groups to push standards that boost demand for their toxic—and ineffective—products
By Patricia Callahan and Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune reporters
May 06, 2012 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/flames/ct-met-flame-retardants-20120506,0,1627036.story
Flame retardants hard to avoid at home: Even unlabeled furniture may contain chemicals, expert says.
By Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune reporter
May 06, 2012 http://bit.ly/Mg8MG2
Part Two. Big Tobacco wins fire marshals as allies in flame retardant push: Cigarette-makers had man on the inside of key fire-safety group.
By Patricia Callahan and Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune reporters
May 8, 2012 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/flames/ct-met-flames-tobacco-20120508,0,3332088.story
Part Three. Distorting science: Makers of flame retardants manipulate research findings to back their products, downplay health risks
By Sam Roe and Patricia Callahan, Chicago Tribune reporters
May 9, 2012 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/flames/ct-met-flames-science-20120509,0,2480120.story
Part Four. Toxic roulette: Firemaster 550, touted as safe, is the latest in a long line of flame retardants allowed onto the market without thorough study of health risks
By Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune reporter
May 10, 2012 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/flames/ct-met-flames-regulators-20120510,0,4262292.story
Chemical industry lobbyists keep stronger oversight plan at bay
By Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune reporter
May 10, 2012 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/flames/ct-met-regulators-sidebar-20120510,0,5230287.story
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