Updated October 13, 2011

Toxic flame retardants are one of the most common sources of toxicity in our homes and our lives. They are used on everything from computer casings, to furniture, to carpeting, to children's products. "The problem is, they don't stay put," says Rebecca Williams, a reporter for The Environment Report¹. "They leach out of products and they get into us."

Health concerns surrounding these chemicals—including everything from cancer to thyroid issues to reproductive harm—are serious enough that many groups including fire professionals are interested in getting toxic flame retardants out of our daily lives.

From a letter² released by the International Association of Fire Fighters:

"Many studies involving fire fighters exposed to these and other toxic gases during active fire fighting, overhaul, and long term exposure from these chemicals penetrating protective gear, have found that fire fighters have a much greater risk of contracting cancer, heart and lung disease, and other debilitating diseases. While we support the concept of flame retardant chemicals, there are [safer] alternatives."

When we talk about toxic flame retardants on Safer States, we are referring to a whole group of chemicals that are used on household products for the purposes of slowing down combustion. Unlike some chemicals (cadmium, for example), the concern isn't with a specific single chemical. Instead, we reference a group of chemicals intended for a single purpose, nearly all of which have been shown to have harmful effects on children, fire fighters, fish and wildlife.

In 2010, dozens of laws were passed in statehouses and localities to protect children, families and workers from toxic chemicals. The laws ranged the gamut from bisphenol-A (BPA) restrictions, to laws promoting green chemicals in state buildings, to comprehensive laws moving toward a healthier, greener approach to chemicals in particular states.

As different as these laws were, nearly every one shared something in common: loud and highly paid opposition from the chemical industry, an industry which is not willing to yield to public outcry and scientific evidence and move toward a safer lifecycle for products which we use every day.

The chemical industry is an incredibly influential force in the United States, and around the world. The loudest voice in the industry is its trade association, the American Chemistry Council (ACC). It represents over 150 of the largest chemical manufacturers in this country, including the $46 billion chlorine industry and the plastics industry which touches every part of our lives, provides $379 billion in annual shipments and employs 850,000 workers .

Some of the largest companies in the chemical industry are BASF, Bayer Group, DuPont and Dow Chemical. Most of the large players produce chemicals which are used in the production of other products. For instance, among thousands of products, BASF makes dyes used in clothing manufacture, fungicides and insecticides used in farming, coatings and solvents used in electronics, foams used in construction and appliances, and even acid that is used to disinfect kegs and barrels in breweries and wineries.

This blog was originally published by the Environmental Health Strategy Center.

By Mike Belliveau, Executive Director for the Environmental Health Strategy Center.

I was pleased to see yet another display of bipartisan state leadership aimed at preventing disease, disability and environmental damage from toxic chemicals. Today, the leading coalition of state agency environmental directors, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), announced adoption of a resolution calling for strong federal legislation to fix our broken chemical safety system. In exercising state leadership, they proved the case for a new federal partnership with the states to ensure chemical safety.

The state of Maine is looking to ban bisphenol-A (BPA) as the first "priority chemical" in their Kids-Safe Product Act (a law that was passed in 2008). BPA bans are already in place in Vermont, Maryland, Minnesota, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Washington as well as several counties and cities in the United States. This toxic chemical is being banned in many places because of its health effects which harm vulnerable populations like pregnant women, babies and children.

This month, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) is holding public hearings about whether to ban BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups and reusable food and beverage containers that are used by children. The public comment period ends on August 30, and we urge Maine residents to check the bottom of this post for instructions on how to have your voice heard. Next, the bill will go up for a vote by the Maine Board of Environmental Protection, then there will be a vote in the Maine Legislature.

In 2008, Maine passed the "Kids-Safe Products Act," one of the strongest toxic chemical laws in the nation. It requires that the state adopt a list of priority chemicals which are harmful to children and that they be phased out in order to protect this vulnerable population.

A list of 1700 "Chemicals of High Concern" have been identified by the state, and from that list Maine's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be identifying "Priority Chemicals" at the rate of two per year which are particularly harmful to children. Chemicals identified on this list will be regulated in children's products and manufacturers will be required to disclose the use of these chemicals and move toward safer alternatives.

There has been a lot of toxics news coming from the states lately. The Safer States organizations have been doing an amazing job of protecting their state's citizens through legislation restricting toxic chemicals. Moreover, elected officials have been hearing the message from their voters: we deserve to be protected from toxic chemicals in our lives.

Here's what's happening, state by state:

Alaska

This year's legislative calendar included a ban on Deca-BDE in mattresses and electronics. The bill ultimately failed, but the momentum for the bill was encouraging.

Earlier this month the President's Cancer Panel, a panel of doctors who serve as a medical advisory committee to the President, released a report recommending that Americans take action in order to reduce cancer risk in their lives.

The recommendations include avoiding pesticides in foods, filtering water, and avoiding Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates in order to decrease cancer risk.

As the news spread through the Safer States Coalition, states began to respond in support of the Panel report, and in favor of the passage of a strong Safe Chemicals Act.

Last week, the President's Cancer Panel -- a panel of doctors originally appointed by President Bush -- released a damning report underlining the acute need for stronger toxics laws.

The report, which was submitted to President Obama before it was released to the public on May 6, asks the President "to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation's productivity, and devastate American lives."

In addition to recommendations such as avoiding pesticides in food and filtering water, the report also advises that Americans avoid BPA and phthalates in order to decrease cancer risk.

Our partner organization in Maine -- The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine -- has released a report which analyzed the safety of chemicals that are found in twelve cosmetic and personal care products.

The report outlines specific findings of the products, including a nail polish claiming to be formaldehyde-free which contained formaldehyde, a body lotion containing ingredients that have been banned in some countries, and a hairspray containing cancer-linked phthalates.

Not all news was bad. Burt's Bees Foot Creme tested well, and no harmful ingredients were found. Burt's Bees is a North Carolina-based company with a commitment to truly natural products.

This month, The Environment Report ran a series of stories about flame retardants which were broadcast on NPR affiliates throughout the country. The stories clearly summarized the threat that flame retardants—-also known as PBDEs—-play in our everyday lives.

PBDEs accumulate and are long lasting, and we are concerned about them because they have been known interfere with proper thyroid function in laboratory animals, cause problems with brain development, and disrupt learning, memory and behavior.

Report author Rebecca Williams reported on the ubiquity of flame retardants. When she wanted to find out what flame retardants were in her home, she turned to Safer Coalition organization, The Ecology Center, for answers.