News Coverage
Findings
Published September 23, 2003
Twenty American nursing mothers had high levels of a flame retardant in their breast milk, an environmental group said. While the study by the Environmental Working Group was small and did not identify health effects, the group said it showed how widespread the chemicals are.
The bromine-based fire retardants are used in a wide variety of products, including furniture, computers, television sets, automobiles, copy machines and hair dryers.
"Brominated fire retardants impair attention, learning, memory, and behavior in laboratory animals at surprisingly low levels," the report said.
The nonprofit group, which has publicized the presence of chemicals in products and the environment, tested the breast milk of 20 first-time mothers across the country. Michael Whitlow, a spokesman for Albemarle Corp. of Richmond, one of the companies that makes the flame-retardant chemicals, said it is working to find out if the chemicals are dangerous.