Doing our part for a healthier planet in Janesville, Wisconsin
Did you know?
Fire retardant chemicals are added to clothing, foam products, and electronics in an attempt to keep people safe from the damaging effects of fire. But in the first nationwide study to measure flame retardant chemicals in the blood of small children and their mothers, conducted by the Environmental Working Group in September 2008, toddlers and preschoolers carried a shocking level of the chemicals in their bodies: fully three times the amount their mothers had.
What moms can do:
IDEA #1: Ditch your old foam. In 2005, the types of PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenylethers, used to treat foam products- octa and penta- were removed from the U.S. market due to health concerns. So while new foam items should not contain PBDEs, those purchased before the ban are better replaced. This includes things like mattress pads, couches, easy chairs, foam pillows, and carpet padding.
IDEA #2: Vacuum with a HEPA filter. HEPA filters should help trap any PBDEs present in your household dust and will keep your indoor air healthier for the family.
IDEA #3: Buy safer electronics and furniture. Support a brand that has committed to phasing out all brominated fire retardants. These include: Acer, Apple*, Eizo Nanao, LG Electronics*, Lenovo*, Matsushta, Microsoft, Nokia, Phillips*, Samsung*, Sharp*, Sony-Ericsson*, and Toshiba*. Companies denoted with an asterisk no longer use deca, a PBDE that has been banned for many uses by Washington State and Maine. Furniture companies that have ceased using deca include La-Z Boy, Herman Miller, Steelcase, and IKEA. Mattress manufacturers that have phased out deca are as follows: Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Spring Air, Tempur-Pedic, Select Comfort, King Koil, Therapedic, Kingsdown, Eglander, International Bedding Corp, Restonic, Corsicana, and Lady Americana.
IDEA #4: Banish polyester sleepwear. Pajamas and nightgowns made of polyester fabric are either treated with flame retardant chemicals, or the flame retardant is chemically bonded into the composition of the fabric. Avoid exposing your children to these chemicals, which can offgas into the air and irritate skin; the safest choice for sleepwear is natural snug-fitting cotton. By law, the tag will read that the item is not flame resistant and should fit snugly.
Why it’s important:
• PBDEs “can affect the developing brain and they can affect the developing reproductive system,” according to Linda Birnbaum, a senior toxicologist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Deca, in particular, has been shown to cause “irreversible changes in adult brain function” in mice and rats, to delay onset of puberty in rats, and to cause liver tumors and affect the thyroid function of mice, according to the Michigan Network for Children’s Environmental Health.
• A 2003 study by EWG, “Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in U.S. Mother’s Milk”, found that breastfeeding American women have levels of PBDEs in their milk that are disturbingly higher than those in European women; from 10 to 100 times higher.
• The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) supports banning deca, the PBDE commonly used in electronics, to improve safety and health of fire fighters. The IAFF states: “Many studies involving fire fighters exposed to these and other toxic gases… have found that fire fighters have a much greater risk of contracting cancer, heart and lung disease, and other debilitating diseases. While we support the concept of flame retardant chemicals, there are alternatives that do not contain bromine or chlorine and are much safer for fire fighters than PBDEs.”
This EcoMOMs tip was brought to you by Dana Petersen Murphy, mom to Sabriel and Kaia. You can contact me at dpmurphy@photokiva.com.
