Flame Retardant Chemical Found in Arctic Wildlife

WASHINGTON, DC, June 2, 2004 (ENS) - A chemical widely used as a flame retardant in consumer electronics, furniture and clothing has been found in polar bears and Arctic birds. The discovery, announced this week by Norwegian scientists, adds to growing concern that the chemical - known as Deca - is persistent and accumulates in humans and wildlife.

Polar bear samples analyzed by the National Veterinary Institute in Oslo and blood and eggs from glaucous gulls analyzed by the Norwegian Polar Institute were both found to contain Deca, a type of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE).

The human health impacts of PBDEs, developed in the 1960s, are not well known, but scientists have found they cause neurological damage in laboratory animals.

The samples, taken from the remote Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen, are the first evidence that Deca accumulates in wildlife far from any potential source.

Two other forms of PBDEs - Penta and Octa - have been found to be extremely persistent and accumulate in the body, much like mercury, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Isolation has not kept polar bears free of widely used chemicals. (Photo courtesy Fish and Wildlife Service)

Concern about Penta and Octa prompted the European Union to enact a ban on both that will take effect later this year. A voluntary phaseout of both chemicals will take effect in the United States at the end of 2004.

Neither the United States nor the EU has taken action on Deca. EU governments met last week in Ireland to discuss the chemical and again determined that no additional action was needed.

Deca is the most heavily used PBDE, accounting for some 83 percent of the worldwide market.

The chemical industry contends that Deca molecules are too large to be absorbed by people's bodies and are unlikely to accumulate in wildlife.

But the Arctic study undermines that position, environmentalists and public health advocates say, and adds to a list of scientific studies that finds Deca is persistent and potentially harmful to humans and the environment.

Researchers have determined that Deca - although less easily absorbed by the body than other PBDEs - breaks down under sunlight and during metabolic processes into chemical components of Penta.

Brominated flame retardants in landfilled computer junk emit pollutants into the air and water. (Photo courtesy Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition)

Deca is used in televisions, stereos, computers, hair dryers, toasters, draperies, and upholstery fabrics.

"This is just more evidence that the chemicals industry does not know enough about the products it markets to consumers," said Samantha Smith, director of WWF's Arctic Program. "The industry has insisted that Deca does not accumulate in the food chain. The fact that Deca is in Arctic wildlife shows that industry is wrong."

A previous WWF study discovered the chemical in one-third of 47 Europeans tested and Deca has been found by scientists in wildlife in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway.

The Arctic study follows a report released last month by the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC, that found high levels of PBDEs, including Deca, in household dust.

In addition, a recent study of American women's breast milk found levels of Deca in 16 of 20 women tested, and a study from the University of Texas found a maximum level of Deca 40 times higher than industry's estimated maximum body burden for women who make their living disassembling computers that contain Deca.

Environmentalists contend there are safe alternatives to Deca and the other PBDEs that meet fire safety standards.

They note that Ericsson, a global manufacturer of cell phones and other electronics, has banned Deca and other PBDEs from its products and says it has found replacements at comparable cost.