Last week, 145 scientists in 22 countries published the first-ever consensus statement documenting health hazards from flame retardant chemicals. Published in the open academic journal Environmental Health Perspectives the consensus of the article is that brominated and chlorinated flame retardants as classes of substances are a concern for persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and toxicity.
In addition, “there is a need to improve the availability of and access to infor mation on brominated and chlorinated flame retardants and other chemicals in products in the supply chain and throughout each product’s life cycle” because “consumers can play a role in the adoption of alternatives to harmful flame retardants if they are made aware of the presence of the substances, for example, through product labeling.”
Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants contain compounds that cause cancer, neurological damage and endocrine disruption. Once these chemicals come into contact with the human body, they accumulating in greater and greater concentration in the body.
Read San Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants: http://timewellness.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/image.pdf
