Case Study: PBDEs
persistent toxin prompts bans in Europe, US
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Write your MP
to let them know how you feel about a federal ban on PBDEs. (Contact
info on back page).
2. Buy PBDE-free products
Companies that sell PBDE-free products include Sony, Motorola and Intel (electronics);
HP (monitors).
3. Disposal of old electronics
In BC call the Recycling Council at 1-800-667-4321 to responsibly dispose of products.
Outside BC, write your MLA asking for an e-waste recovery program.
The casing on your computer or cell phone may look a lot like the other plastics in your home, but there is one critical difference: to prevent it from catching on fire when the electronic equipment inside heats up it contains a fire retardant.
Fifteen years ago the most commonly used of these fire retardants, chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, began showing up in the breast milk of women and each new test showed rising levels. Then researchers testing in the Arctic, far away from computer clogged landfills in big cities, made a chilling discovery: high levels of PBDEs in ringed seals. Like the deadly PCBs of a previous generation, PBDEs had spread through the food chain to the planet’s farthest reaches.
There are three main groups of PBDEs, known as penta-, octa- and deca-BDEs, depending on the number of bromine atoms in the group. The penta and octa groups are the most toxic and persistent, although recent research has demonstrated clearly that the less toxic deca group, once it’s loose in the environment, can break down into its more toxic cousins. PBDEs are very similar in their chemical structure to PCBs and thus in the threats they pose: they are unsafe at even low doses, bio-accumulate in humans and the environment, are known to impair memory and learning, disrupt the endocrine system, and are suspected of other adverse health impacts.
Sweden was the first to take action, banning all PBDEs in 1997. Tests now show that PBDE levels in their population are falling. That has prompted demands for other countries to follow Sweden’s lead. The jurisdictions that have taken action so far include the European Union (penta and octa banned with deca ban pending) and eight US states (penta and octa banned).
In Canada, regulation of PBDEs is the jurisdiction of the federal government, which has yet to take action to protect citizens. However, a Member of Parliament who read our 2005 Turning the Tide report, introduced a private member’s motion calling for a ban on all PBDEs. A petition in support of this motion can be downloaded from this page on our website. Please click on "Orcas and Toxins" to download it.
