The Hunt for PBDEs

photos by: A.J. Fox

photos by: A.J. Fox 

A.) Where (what kind of room) did you find most of the flame retardant products?

I was unsuccessfull at finding any flame retardant products. All of the furniture that I examined had no sticker to provide an answer or it said that there were no flame retardants in it. In my dormitory I was also unsuccessfull at finding any flame retardant products. I believe I didn’t find any because all of the furniture in the library and most of my clothes in my dorm are brand new with the exception of dormitory furniture and my mattress do to the law change made years ago. It is also a possibility that some of the labels were frale or not attached on the furniture or clothing properly which resulted in the label being lost. 

B.) What was the most abundant product found to be dosed in flame retardant?

As I mentioned above there was no products I found with evidence of flame retardant thus, no abundant products were dosed flame retardant. 

C.) Examining your charts, which product do think gets the most use from people?

In the library, I think the chairs in the library and day student area because people are usually in these areas to get work done and I rarely see someone just standing on their computer. In my dorm my bed definitely gets the most use because I am in it for at least eight hours a night.

D.) Knowing that exposure rate, route of exposure and age of exposure are keys to determining toxic impact, which product generates the highest health risk? Which product has the lowest health risk? Explain why.

I think the products that you wear, like shirts, pants, and even childrens pajamas and or products that people are exposed to frequently like chairs, blankets, sheets, and mattresses on beds generate the highest heath risk to humans if they contain fire retardants. This is because the more you are exposed to these items, the higher chance you have of becoming sick. The products with the lowest health risks are products like tv's and any kind of electronics because they are not something I wear or have constantly touching my skin. Although electronics are technically soaked in retardants, it wil never be a health issue as long as the electronic is never taken apart. 

E.) After watching Safety on Fire what would you suggest are some appropriate means to address the concerns of PBDE exposure?

After watching Safety on Fire I was very disturbed and annoyed with the companies choice to use fire retardant.  It was very concerning that chemical companies who are putting money above human health and safety is terrible and they deserve legall discipline. I strongly believe that PBDEs should be banned and they shouldn’t be used in anything that is eexposed to humans on a regular basis. They are a harmful, damgerous substances that have no place being in anything inside our houses or on our backs. I think without flame retardants, our society would be a much healthier, safer place. 

F.) What concerns and questions do you still have about PBDEs?  

I still have concerns that labels can easily fall off if they are fire retardant furniture. Also , I believe there is still a lot of old furniture out in the world that has PBDEs and are not labeled. We need to find the remaining fire retardant products and dispose of them properly.