Fire Retardants, PCBs, Dioxins, Furans, PFOA/PFOS, Chlorofluorocarbons, Heavy Metals, Asbestos Contamination

Flame Retardants

Flame retardants are added to products like plastics and textiles but don't stay fixed, accumulating in dust and being inhaled.
These chemicals are measurable in humans and wildlife and mimic thyroid hormones, affecting the thyroid gland.
Firefighters have high occupational exposure, facing toxic chemicals and increased cancer rates.
Flame retardants are introduced into electronics, upholstered furniture, and mattresses.
When burned, flame retardants can form even more toxic compounds.
Flame retardants get into the body through evaporation from products and attachment to dust particles, which are then inhaled or ingested.
These retardants provide no meaningful fire safety benefit.
Fires involving natural materials like wood, wool, and cotton burned cleaner and slower.
Modern fires involve plastics and synthetics, causing rapid ignition of everything in the room.
Lawmakers should collaborate with manufacturers to prevent the use of chemical flame retardants.
Some manufacturers have removed flame retardants, but some still use them.
A standard prohibiting flame retardants in all products is desirable.
In the early 1980s, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) were introduced.
The chemical company manufacturing PBBs accidentally cross-labeled them with animal fertilizer.
PBBs were used in plastics, televisions, computers, and carpeting for about 30 years.
PBBs were banned in the mid-2000s due to adverse health effects.
These chemicals migrate out of products, are inhaled/ingested, and cause nerve developmental delays.
They mimic hormones, interfering with the endocrine system.
After PBDEs were banned, new, untested flame retardants were introduced.
Some chemicals currently in use were previously removed from children's pajamas.

PCBs, Dioxins, and Furans

PCBs, dioxins, and furans are non-volatile, stable, nonflammable, and have low conductivity, making them suitable for insulation.
PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls.
These are halogenated compounds (containing chlorine, bromine, or iodine).
They are high molecular weight and lipophilic, making them persistent in the environment.
A superfund site example is the Hudson River, contaminated by industrial waste.
Chlorine bleach used in cleanup can create these compounds as byproducts.
Exposure in Time Beach, Montana, occurred via waste oil used for dust control.
Acute exposure leads to chloracne, a painful skin condition.

PFOA and PFOS

PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) are types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
These are found in water and stain-resistant products like Vortex, Teflon, and Scotchgard.
Exposure was linked to illnesses near a DuPont chemical plant.
The EPA is reviewing regulations, with concerns about deregulation.
There is a rule in the Safe Drinking Water Act that prevents backsliding, ensuring regulations around safe water are not loosened.
PFOA and PFOS are linked to cancer, heart effects, strokes, and birth defects.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

CFCs were used in refrigerants, aerosols, and propellants.
They were considered ideal due to being non-flammable, non-corrosive, chemically stable, and seemingly non-toxic.
Their stability allows them to reach the stratosphere, affecting the natural reactions between ozone ( $O<em>3$ ), oxygen ( $O</em>2$ ), and oxygen atoms ( $O$ ).
This results in a net loss of ozone, which protects us from the sun.
The Montreal Protocol, opened for signatures in 1987 and effective in 1989, banned the production of ozone-depleting substances, signed by 197 countries.
Measurements show surface levels of ozone-depleting substances decreasing.
Chlorine released from CFCs destroys ozone.
Measurements inside the Antarctic ozone hole show decreasing chlorine levels.
Colder temperatures exacerbate ozone depletion.
Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) data shows ozone depletion is declining.

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals (including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, and beryllium) can have toxic effects.
Lead was previously used in paints and gasoline but is now banned in consumer products.
Lead is still found in some imported products.
Lead exposure in children can cause memory, attention, IQ, and behavioral problems.
Each unit increase in blood lead level is associated with a 0.87 decrease in IQ points.
Mercury is neurotoxic, causing mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, and motor impairments.
Symptoms of mercury poisoning include excitability, delirium, and hallucinations.

Asbestos

Exposure in conflict zones increases cancer risk, which is an understudied area.
Asbestos exposure is a well-known risk factor.

International Regulations

International treaties aimed to ban certain substances, but some countries did not ratify them.
Corporate patents are a major obstacle, with companies arguing that disclosing chemical information would reveal trade secrets.