Toxic flame retardant to be phased out

In a deal with federal regulators, U.S. manufacturers will end all use of the chemical known as deca by 2013. It is commonly used in TV sets and other electronic equipment, among other products.

Los Angeles Times, Bettina Boxall
Published December 22, 2009

The U.S. manufacturers of a toxic flame retardant commonly used in television sets have agreed to phase out production under a deal with federal regulators. The retardant, known as deca, is one of a class of chemical compounds that have been found in California residents at the highest levels in the country, a consequence of widespread exposure linked to the state's strict flammability standards for furniture. Deca is a polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), a group of flame-retardant chemicals used in the manufacture of electronic equipment, furniture cushions, upholstery textiles, carpet backings, mattresses, cars, buses, aircraft and construction materials. A California ban on products containing two other PBDEs, penta and octa, took effect in 2008. Even though the deca phaseout does not ban the importation of products with the compound, activists said the move is nonetheless significant "This is the beginning of the end for brominated flame retardants," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president for policy for the Environmental Working Group. "It sends a signal." Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flame20-2009dec20,0,1033473.stor...