Source: http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/bfr.cfm
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the first nationwide tests for brominated flame retardants in dust swiped from computers, the Computer Take-Back Campaign (CTBC) and Clean Production Action (CPA) found these neurotoxic chemicals on every computer sampled. The highest levels found were a form of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) called deca-BDE— one of the most widely used fire retardant chemicals in the electronics industry.
These results indicate that there is exposure to certain brominated flame retardants and that computers are likely to be a significant source of deca-BDE exposure in the dust of homes, offices, schools, and businesses. There is evidence that these chemicals could be hazardous to human health. All exposures, no matter how small, are of concern because deca-BDE is a bioaccumulative substance. This means that multiple exposures to low levels of deca-BDE add up over time and build up in the body. There is no safe dose associated with these chemicals. Fortunately, this report finds that computer manufacturers can prevent unnecessary risks by using safer alternatives that meet stringent fire standards in the United States and are less harmful to human health and the environment.
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), especially PBDEs, are persistent in the environment and contaminate the food chain, animals, and people. The capacity of PBDEs to bioaccumulate in fatty tissue and biomagnify up the food chain, in combination with their persistence and toxicity make this class of chemicals of high concern to the environment and human health. PBDEs and related compounds are turning up just about everywhere scientists look for them, up and down the food chain, in sediments, beluga whales, seals, bird eggs, and human milk, serum and adipose tissue.
Of grave concern is the research showing that women in North America have the highest levels globally of these chemicals in their breast milk and evidence continues to mount about their effect on the neurological and endocrine systems. These levels are doubling every two to five years in the North American population.
Also of great concern is the alarming fact that the concentrations of deca-BDE found in peregrine falcons approach those concentrations reported to have caused neurological damage in mice. So, like penta- and octa-BDE before it, manufacturers’ claims that the biological uptake of deca-BDE would not occur, certainly not in high concentrations, have not only proven to be false, but deca-BDE itself has been documented as having caused harm in lab research.
Since the 1970s, the electronics industry has been one of the largest consumers of PBDEs, relying on this class of chemicals (out of an identified175 different types of fire retardants) to meet fire safety standards. About 40% of PBDEs are used in the outer casings of computers, printers and televisions and by far the largest volume PBDE mixture used as a flame retardant has been deca-BDE. Two of the three forms of PBDEs —penta- and octa-BDE— will be taken off the market by the end of 2004, but deca-BDE and other brominated flame retardants will continue to be used in the United States, unless action is taken by state and federal governments.
To evaluate the potential for electronic equipment to be a source of exposure to certain brominated flame retardants, PBDEs in particular, the Computer Take Back Campaign and Clean Production Action gathered sixteen samples of dust from the central processing units (CPUs) and monitors of computers. These samples were taken in a variety of public locations in eight states across the United States including university computer labs, legislative offices and a children’s museum to assess the presence of certain brominated flame retardants in our workplaces.
In our analyses of these “wipe samples” from computers, toxic PBDE residues were found in every sample (see Table 1). The highest levels found were deca-BDE. Other brominated flame retardants identified in the analyses were octa- and nona-BDE as well as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). Finding TBBPA even at very low levels was a surprise, given claims from the bromine and electronics industries that TBBPA is less likely to find its way into the environment than other brominated flame retardants. The samples were not analyzed for penta-BDE and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).
The highest single deca-BDE sample came from a new flat screen monitor in a university office with no other computers. Because these chemicals build up in the body, low levels of deca-BDE and other brominated chemicals found in the dust samples, no matter how small the amounts, are cause for concern as this study among others demonstrates that these chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment and immediately available for human ingestion. These findings strongly indicate that consumer products, such as computers that use brominated flame retardants, are likely to be a source of exposure and add to the growing body of evidence showing that deca-BDE is quickly becoming one of the most abundant congeners found in samples of indoor dust.
- Ake Bergman, Stockholm University environmental
chemist who conducted the first studies on BFR uptake in the human
body, quoted in the Los Angeles Times
The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF), a trade association representing the largest three bromine manufacturers (Great Lakes Chemical, Albemarle and Dead Sea Bromine Company) plus one other manufacturer, continues to dismiss concerns that bromine chemicals present exposure risks to the general public and the environment or that these chemicals could have an effect on human health. Our dust findings contradict their assurances that there is little risk of exposure to deca-BDE and thus the chemical should be assumed safe for use in products.
The use of BFRs in consumer products poses further exposure risks along the life cycle of a product – particularly when the products are disposed of. For example these chemicals can turn into brominated dioxins when electronic waste, or other products containing these chemicals, are incinerated or combusted. A review by the World Health Organization’s International Program on Chemical Safety has concluded that brominated flame retardants are significant sources of polybrominated dioxins and furans. The report’s conclusion is clear: they “should not be used where suitable replacements are available and future efforts should encourage the development of further substitutes.”1
- Bromine Science and Environmental Forum website
- World Health Organization’s International Program on Chemical Safety, Environmental Health Criteria 205: Polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans
Due to the similarities between many brominated flame retardants and other chemical compounds that have been proven to be harmful to human health, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), many governments have determined that the health risks are too high to allow continued and in many cases increased exposure to these chemicals. Twelve years ago, the international Oslo Paris Convention (OSPAR )2 for European countries in the North East Atlantic placed the entire class of brominated flame retardants on their list of hazardous materials targeted for phase out. Individual European countries, such as Norway, Germany and Sweden started to require companies to replace BFRs with safer alternatives. To harmonize efforts in Europe, the European Union recently banned the use of all PBDEs and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) in electronic products starting in 2006.
In the United States, the state of Maine passed a
bill to ban penta- and octa-BDE by
The evidence of widespread BFR contamination supports an aggressive call for enactment of the substitution principle at the federal level. This means that brominated flame retardants should be replaced with less hazardous alternatives when they are available. It is technically and economically feasible to produce electronic products that meet the top level flame resistance standards regulated by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL 94 5V and UL94V-O) while using safer flame retardants.
We have enough evidence to act now and indeed progressive industries are moving to safer alternatives. This report evaluates the latest advancements in product redesign within the electronics sector whereby companies have been able to replace flammable materials with nontoxic flame resistant materials. Apple, for example, is replacing the plastic exterior casings on its new laptops with metal to negate the need for flame retardants. Toshiba now uses an inherently flame resistant plastic, polyphenylene sulphide, for casings of electronics. NEC has a new biobased plastic that negates the need for brominated or phosphorus based flame retardants.
There is universal agreement that preventing fires and reducing burn time is critical in buildings, transportation vehicles and consumer products. However, in the face of new evidence and increasing chemical contamination of the general public, the United States can no longer ignore the evidence that deca-BDE and other toxic fire retardants pose a high risk to public health and the environment. The United States government must focus its chemical policy on safer chemicals and materials and be more proactive in pushing green chemistry solutions and sustainable product design.
The following policy recommendations will help spur the rapid adoption of currently available safer materials and catalyze the on-going development of more environmentally compatible fire retardants:
