News Coverage
Fire retardant a health risk
Published April 11, 2005
TOXIC anti-fire chemicals used to coat common household goods are seeping into breast milk in Australia at levels higher than in some overseas countries, environmentalists have warned.
The fire retardants, known scientifically as PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), are used to protect a wide range of goods including computers, televisions, chairs and mattresses.
But the chemicals, which are fat soluble and build up in human bodies, have also been linked in overseas studies to cancer and problems with sex hormones and brain development.
Europe has banned two of the PBDE compounds, but Australia continues to allow three compounds to be used in manufactured goods.
The Australian chemical regulator said it did not have the power to tackle the problem.
There were no laws dealing with imported products containing the chemicals, Dr Margaret Hartley, chief executive of the National Industrial and Chemical Notification and Assessment Scheme, said.
"The regulator has to look where it's got the power to look I guess," Dr Hartley told ABC TV's 7.30 Report.
"In terms of those products, no, there's no legislation to cover that at the moment ... there is a gap in that."
National Toxics Network spokeswoman Dr Mariann Lloyd Smith said all three common PBDEs should be banned, particularly because of their impact on children.
Australian research had shown mothers' breast milk contained levels of PBDEs five times higher than European mothers, she said.
"Children under four have the highest levels of PBDEs of the population, which is very disturbing when you think about a small child, their bodies, their immune systems, their detoxification systems - all of those systems of a child are still developing," Dr Lloyd Smith said.
Dr Bob Symons, manager of the National Measurement Institute, said his research into three key fire retardants - known as Deca, Octa and Penta - had found high levels of PBDEs in mothers' milk.
"The fact that the levels are high in Australia should be seen by the regulators here that they need to look at what is being done overseas," Dr Symons said.
Chief executive of the plastics industry association, Michael Catchpole, said the PBDEs, which were chemically "locked" into products, played a valuable safety role.
"Much of our technology today, whether it be computers or motor cars or many other things including many health products, would be much less safe in terms of fire safety without the use of flame retardants," Mr Catchpole said.
He said manufacturers had cut their use of two of the PBDEs, Penta and Octa, but still regarded Deca as being safe.
A statement from Greenpeace said Dell computers had removed all PBDEs, and Samsung, Nokia and Sony had committed to phasing them out on their European products.
"We expect the Australian Government to take immediate action and ban harmful flame-retardant compounds coming into our country," Greenpeace spokesman Jason Collins said in a statement.