Issues > May/June 2005 (#108) > Learning Hazards: Toxic Fire Retardants And How To Avoid Them In Consumer Products And Food - The Executive Summary

Learning Hazards: Toxic Fire Retardants And How To Avoid Them In Consumer Products And Food - The Executive Summary

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Exposures to PBDEs from Food

Once they are released into the environment, PBDEs, like PCBs and dioxins, "bioaccumulate," or rise in the food chain, collecting in animal fats. While contamination of our food supply has not received as much attention as PBDEs in house dust, it is of concern for two reasons:

*Dr. Schecter , William Luksemburg , president of Alta Analytical Laboratory, and others have found higher levels of PBDEs in farmed salmon and catfish than in other fish and meats. Farmed fish also contain significantly higher levels of dioxins and PCBs. These chemicals accumulate in our bodies. Therefore, the more contaminated food we consume, the higher our exposure—and our unborn children's—may be. As Dr. McDonald notes, it can take two to seven years or more to rid the body of just half its burden of PBDEs.

*The highest PCB exposures, those that have contributed to birth defects and lowered I.Q., have come from contaminated food, such as fish, and as the two chemicals are so similar, we should be concerned about a similar danger from PBDEs.

Reducing Our Exposures to PBDEs: Consumer Solutions

By taking the following simple actions, we can reduce our exposures to PBDEs as well as to PCBs, dioxins and other POPs. These solutions are discussed more fully, with specific product listings, starting on p. 22 of this report. As an overview:

* Eat a heart-healthy diet. Reducing your consumption of animal fats will also lower amounts of PCBs, PBDEs, dioxins and other POPs in your diet. "Eating less amounts of animal fats will result in lower PBDE levels [in our bodies] in the long run," Dr. Birnbaum says. She recommends a "heart healthy" diet, which will, in addition to helping protect cardiovascular disease, also reduce our exposure to bioaccumulating chemicals such as PBDEs, PCBs and dioxins.

* Eat farmed fish less frequently (some researchers recommend no more than once per month), especially European and U.S. salmon, which have been shown to have high PBDE, PCB and dioxin levels. Choose wild salmon "fresh, frozen or canned"instead. To find other safest fish, see p. 23.

* Clean floors with a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner that traps fine particles of dust, soot and pollen, and wet mop regularly. Keep your home well-ventilated. This will also help reduce concentrations of other forms of indoor air pollution, Dr. McDonald says.

* Cover and seal rips in upholstery that expose polyurethane foam, especially if the foam is loose and crumbling, a condition that may encourage the release of PBDEs into house dust and air. When buying new furniture, explore your PBDE-free options as listed in the Solutions section of this report on p. 22.

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