News Coverage
Flame retardant found in many foods
Clue to how worrisome PBDE got into breast milk may be in stores
Published September 1, 2004
The mystery of how a type of flame retardant found its way into the breast milk of 100% of American mothers tested - at the highest levels anywhere in the world - may have been solved.
In the first U.S. study searching for the chemical in food, researchers found polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in all food containing animal fats purchased at a sampling of three Dallas-area supermarkets. The highest levels were in fish, followed by meat and dairy products.
Two studies released last year found the chemical in breast milk. The flame retardant, which does not break down in the environment, accumulates in living tissue.
No PBDE studies have been done on people, but animal studies found "high doses can cause cancer, and lower doses can cause nervous system damage and reproductive and developmental effects," says study author Arnold Schecter of the University of Texas in Dallas. The study was released Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The only two U.S. producers of PBDEs have agreed to voluntarily cease production of two forms of the chemical by the end of this year. Another formulation, called deca, is still in use.
But "it's not like you turn off the tap and there's no more drip," says Linda Birnbaum of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a co-author of the paper. "There will be continued exposure via the food supply, certainly for the next 10 to 20 years."
The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, an industry group, downplayed the study, saying the chemicals are far below acceptable toxicology levels.