killer couches

KILLER COUCHES: Protecting Infants & Children from Toxic Exposure

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Written by Sara Schedler with contributions from Russell Long Ph.D., Arlene Blum Ph.D., Jen Holzer, Bob Badgley, Mary Brune, Bart Broome and Shannan Velayas. Design and layout by Stephen R. Harris III e-mail: [email protected] A special thanks to Jack Hanson with Innovx Systems and HMC Analytical Instrumentation for use of the XRF instrument. Please contact Jack at 925.292.8698 or [email protected] for more information about XRF instruments. We would also like to thank the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Silent Spring Institute for granting us permission to republish images / materials. For an electronic copy of this report, or for further information about efforts to pass AB706, please refer to our website at www.foe.org Support Friends of the Earth’s work. Visit our website at www.foe.org to make a contribution. Friends of the Earth is the U.S. voice of an influential, international network of grassroots groups in 70 countries. Since 1969, Friends of the Earth has been at the forefront of high-profile efforts to create a more healthy, just world.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4

HEALTH IMPACTS IN CHILDREN

6

HEALTH IMPACTS IN DOMESTIC CATS

8

HEALTH IMPACTS IN FIREFIGHTERS

10

IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

11

LEGISLATIVE ACTION: AB706

12

STUDY METHODOLOGY

13

STUDY FINDINGS

14

RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTIONS

14

APPENDIX A

15

REFERENCES

15

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY New data collected by Friends of the Earth demonstrates that a high percentage of California’s furniture contains toxic chemicals called halogenated fire retardants.*∗ In hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and animal experiments, halogenated fire retardants have been linked to serious health disorders such as cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, neurological and reproductive dysfunction and learning disabilities such as ADHD, mental retardation, and hyperactivity.1 Today, Californians who undergo testing are finding halogenated fire retardants stored in their bodies at increasing rates, with babies and children showing the highest levels.2

STUDY RESULTS Friends of the Earth tested a sampling of 350 pieces of household furniture in stores and domestic residences and found that over two-thirds of furniture tested in retail stores and over half of furniture tested in domestic residences had high levels of halogenated fire retardants. A certified X-Ray Fluorescence instrument (XRF), which is commonly used for official purposes by federal agencies, was used to document the presence of halogenated fire retardants in products. This analysis suggests that product contamination may be widespread in California, unnecessarily exposing the public, especially infants and children, to significant chemical harm.

Infants and children are the most vulnerable to the effects of halogenated fire retardant chemicals, which have been shown to travel from the mother’s body through the placenta and umbilical cord blood to the developing fetus at critical stages of growth and brain development.3 Studies show that babies are now increasingly born with these chemicals already stored in their bodies.4 Babies are further exposed to these compounds after birth through breast milk, where they have increased 40-fold since the 1970’s.5 Halogenated fire retardants migrate from furniture into household dust where they are inhaled, building up in human and animal tissue over time.6 A recent study released in October, 2007 shows that California has three to eight times the household dust concentrations of these chemical compounds compared to the rest of the U.S. and U.S. concentrations are, on average, ten times higher than European concentrations.7

*For the purposes of this report, we will refer to brominated and chlorinated fire retardants (BFRs and CFRs) as halogenated fire retardants. This is inclusive also of PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), a sub-class of BFRs. Technically, the term halogenated includes other compounds such as fluorine and iodine.

4

Groundwater, drinking water, ambient air, oceans and ecosystems have been contaminated by these compounds so that now halogenated fire retardants are being detected in wildlife as far away as the Arctic Circle.8 These compounds have also been found throughout the food chain, including dairy products, meat, poultry, and fish that we eat on a daily basis.9 A recent study released in July, 2007 by the U.S. EPA shows that domestic cats have been found to have high levels of these chemicals in their bodies.10 Halogenated fire retardants may also disproportionately impact firefighters, whose soaring rates of cancer may be in part attributable to exposure to the by-products of chemical combustion of these chemicals.11

Furniture Tested in Domestic Residences

Furniture Tested in Stores High Levels: 1001ppm* or higher 22%

High Levels: 1001ppm* or higher 19% Medium Levels: 5011000ppm

Medium Levels: 5011000ppm 9% 2%

52%

Low Levels: 11-500ppm

Low Levels: 11-500ppm

27%

67% NegligibleLevels: 010ppm (likely noncompliant with TB117)

2%

NegligibleLevels: 010ppm (likely noncompliant with TB117)

*Levels of Halogenated Fire Retardants Measured in Parts Per Million (ppm)

Halogenated fire retardants are widely used to meet California’s strict flammability regulation, Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117). The Polyurethane Foam Association estimates that this standard has led to the use of millions of pounds of halogenated fire retardants in furniture annually since 1975. Fortunately, effective flammability standards can be established without the use of toxic chemicals. California Assemblyman Mark Leno’s Assembly Bill 706 (AB706), the Crystal Golden-Jefferson Furniture Safety and Fire Prevention Act, would achieve this goal. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Earth, AB706 mandates the immediate phase-out of halogenated fire retardants in all household furniture products covered by TB117, while achieving equivalent or superior fire safety in furniture products by promoting the use of safe, effective, affordable and less toxic fire retardant methods.

Friends of the Earth | KILLER COUCHES: Chemicals and Kids

5

HEALTH IMPACTS IN CHILDREN Infants face enormous health challenges in a world that is increasingly dominated by industrial chemicals. Body burden studies tell us that babies are now born with hundreds of chemicals already stored in their bodies—topping the list are halogenated fire retardants, particularly a sub-class called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). These chemicals have been shown to cause serious health disorders in hundreds of animal studies including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a whole host of reproductive and neurological disorders.12 Halogenated fire retardants are passed from the mother’s fatty tissues, where they bioaccumulate over time, and travel through the placenta and umbilical cord blood while the baby is in utero. Once the baby is born, he or she undergoes further chemical exposure by ingesting these compounds through breast milk. U.S. women have one of the highest exposure rates of these chemicals in the world and, on average, have ten times the levels of halogenated fire retardant chemicals in their bodies compared to European or Asian women. As a result, recent studies show that North American women have the highest levels of these chemicals in their breast milk in the world.13

6

In addition to ingesting halogenated fire retardants from breast milk, children also directly ingest these compounds through hand-to-mouth contact or inhalation. Toddlers and children are at the highest risk of ingestion since they often play on the floor or on furniture, where household dust tends to accumulate. Because children receive these chemicals from their mothers’ bodies as well as through the household environment, halogenated fire retardant chemicals are now found in higher levels in children relative to their parents according to a number of recent body burden studies.14 Halogenated fire retardants are used principally in furniture foam. Because these compounds are not chemically bound to the foam, they escape into the indoor environment where they settle in household dust. A recent EPA literature review estimates that 82% of the human body burden of a halogenated fire retardant chemical called pentaBDE comes from dust.15

PCBs and PBBs, which were banned and restricted from use in the 1970s, are structurally very similar to halogenated flame retardants called PBDEs.

From Blum A., SCIENCE 318:194 (12 Oct 2007), www.sciencemag.org. Reprinted with permission from AAAS.


7

HEALTH IMPACTS IN DOMESTIC CATS Rates of feline hyperthyroidism in domestic cats have increased steadily since the 1970s. Feline hyperthyroidism was very rare before the 1970s and is now one of the most common hormonal cat diseases diagnosed by veterinarians.17 A recent study by the U.S. EPA found that pet cats in the U.S. have very high body burdens of halogenated fire retardants, particularly PBDEs, in their bodies. PDBE blood levels of hyperthyroid cats were three times as high as those in younger, non-hyperthyroid cats. U.S. EPA researchers have hypothesized an association between PBDEs and the significant increase of hyperthyroidism rates in cats which emerged after PBDEs began to be used in significant quantities in the consumer marketplace in the 1970s.18 Cats spend the majority of their lives inside, either on the floor or on furniture, where household dust tends to accumulate. Cats are prone to picking up dust on their fur and likely ingest fire retardant chemicals when they clean themselves. They also may ingest chemical compounds through canned food, particularly those containing fish, where halogenated fire retardants have been detected at increasing rates.19 Because animals and humans have great genetic similarity and possess similar endocrine, immune and nervous systems, that which impacts animal health is likely to impact human health.20

8

California has three to eight times the household dust concentrations of halogenated fire retardants compared to other regions, largely due to the state’s flammability standard, TB117. The U.S. average of household dust concentrations of these chemicals is ten times that of Europe.

DEFINING BODY BURDEN STUDIES A body burden study measures the amount of harmful substances that are permanently present in the body of a human or animal. Many harmful substances can be routinely and naturally eliminated by the body, but some are removed very slowly or not at all—especially those that are lipophilic, which means they build up in fatty tissues. Halogenated fire retardants are lipophilic, meaning that once they enter a human or animal body, they tend to stay there and bioaccumulate, impacting normal functioning. *Many U.S. states have introduced legislation in 2008 to ban a PBDE called decaBDE from use. Eleven U.S. states and a number of European countries have already successfully banned other PBDEs, pentaBDE and octaBDE, from use.


9

HEALTH IMPACTS IN FIREFIGHTERS Halogenated fire retardants may be linked to high rates of certain kinds of cancer in firefighters. Firefighters come into contact with these compounds through inhalation and also skin contact with soot during the clean-up phase at burn sites. Halogenated fire retardants also release a heavy, dark smoke when burned that is not only toxic, but obscures vision and lessens firefighters’ capacity to effectively combat fires. For these reasons, the California Professional Firefighters and other key California firefighter organizations support AB706 which would ban these chemicals from use. In November 2006, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published an analysis of 32 studies that found fire fighters have increased rates of four types of cancer— multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate, and testicular cancer—likely resulting from workplace exposure to carcinogens like dioxins and furans, which are formed when halogenated fire retardant chemicals burn.21 Ironically, even though the toxicity of halogenated fire retardants is well-documented, the use of these chemicals in furniture is statistically unproven to increase fire safety over time. For example, California is the only state in the country with a residential furniture flammability standard (TB 117), leading to the use of millions of pounds of halogenated fire retardants annually. Yet according to a study by the National Fire Protection Association, the rate of reduction of fire deaths in California over the last 20 years, when halogenated fire retardants were heavily used in furniture, is statistically similar to other states that did not had furniture flammability standards.22

A general decrease in smoking, the increased use of sprinkler systems and smoke alarms, fire-safe cigarettes, and improved building codes have had a significant impact on increasing fire safety across the U.S., showing that halogenated fire retardants are not necessary for ensuring fire safety.

ARE HALOGENATED FIRE RETARDANTS NECESSARY TO PREVENT FIRE? 5 Year Averages of Fire Deaths 1980-1984 Compared to 1995-1999 • California, down 32% • Pennsylvania, down 30% • Texas, down 33%

• Illinois, down 39%

• New York, down 40% • Ohio, down 39% • Florida, down 31%

• Michigan, down 30%

Source: National Fire Protection Association

10

IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT Halogenated fire retardants are not only building up in human and animal tissue, but are bioaccumulating throughout the global environment. These compounds are increasingly found in river and bay sediments throughout the world, including extremely remote areas such as the Arctic Circle.23 Some of the highest levels of PBDEs have been found in marine mammals at the top of the food chain including harbor seals, dolphins and killer whales.24 These compounds have also been found in meat and fish regularly consumed by the general public.25 An ongoing issue of concern is that there is no way to safely dispose of products that have been treated with halogenated fire retardant chemicals. As consumer products which contain these fire retardants are land-filled, composted, littered, or recycled, the chemicals within them enter the waste stream and are dispersed into the larger environment. Conventional water treatment plants are neither designed nor equipped to remove these chemicals from the waste stream.26 It is hypothesized that these fire retardants may rinse off clothing during laundry cycles, eventually ending up in sewage that’s applied to farm fields as fertilizer, ending up in the food chain.27 Water quality testing has shown that these compounds are flowing into waterways at alarming rates and settling into river and bay sediments. As halogenated fire retardants build up in sediments, they increasingly accumulate in aquatic life, eventually ending up at the top of the food chain, namely large mammals and humans. In the San Francisco Bay area, concentrations of PBDEs in humans and wildlife are among some of the highest reported worldwide.28

PBDEs were first introduced into the consumer marketplace in the 1970s. Like most industrial chemicals in use today, their toxicity impacts were not studied in advance of their widespread use. Since then, PBDEs have been found stored in the tissues of humans and animals throughout the world.16 Over the past 15 years, governments around the world have recognized that halogenated fire retardants such as PBDEs are highly toxic and worked to ban them from use. ∗


11

LEGISLATIVE ACTION AB706 Friends of the Earth is working to end the use of halogenated fire retardants in furniture in California and is the co-sponsor of California Assemblyman Mark Leno’s Assembly Bill 706 (AB706), the Crystal Golden-Jefferson Furniture Safety and Fire Prevention Act. Poised for passage in 2008, AB706 will ban halogenated fire retardants, while promoting safer, affordable and less toxic fire safety measures in furniture including fire resistant upholstery fibers, bio-based furniture filling foams, improved furniture design and phosphate-based chemicals, boric acid and melamine. These safer methods are widely used by institutional furniture manufacturers to meet TB 133 in California, a strict furniture flammability standard similar to TB 117, but applicable only to furniture used in public spaces such as public schools, doctors’ offices, hospitals, government offices and daycare centers. Halogenated fire retardants are currently not widely used to meet TB 133 in institutional furniture, proving that strict flammability standards for furniture can be met without their use. Recently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission responded to concerns raised about the toxicity of halogenated fire retardants in furniture and is moving forward on a federal flammability standard that will intentionally inhibit the use of these chemicals in all furniture sold outside of California. As CPSC Commissioner Thomas Moore noted, “No one wants to trade fire risks for chemical toxicity risks.” 29 AB706 is co-sponsored by MOMS (Making Our Milk Safe) and has the support of dozens of firefighter, burn and trauma organizations, public health groups and religious, consumer, and environmental organizations.

AB706 SUPPORT LIST Friends of the Earth (co-sponsor) MOMS - Making Our Milk Safe (co-sponsor) AFSCME Alicia Ann Ruch Burn Foundation As You Sow Foundation Breast Cancer Action Breast Cancer Fund California Furniture Manufacturers Association California Labor Federation (AFL-CIO) California Professional Fire Fighters On July 20, 2005, a Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter named Crystal

California State Firefighters Assn

Golden-Jefferson passed away from work-place related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Center for Environmental Health

AB 706, the Crystal Golden-Jefferson Furniture Safety and Fire Prevention Act, was

City and County of San Francisco

named in honor of Crystal Golden-Jefferson and other firefighters who, like her, have lost their lives due to toxic chemical exposure and workplace related cancers.

12

Clean Water Action

STUDY METHODOLOGY In order to study the scope of halogenated fire retardant use in furniture sold in California, a random sampling of 350 pieces of furniture in homes and stores in the San Francisco Bay Area were tested. In total, testing was conducted on 155 pieces of upholstered furniture in 11 top furniture retail stores, and 195 pieces of upholstered furniture in 54 homes, for a total of 350 pieces of furniture. A hand-held instrument called an XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) gun was used to measure the presence of bromine in the foam cushions and arms of upholstered furniture. Bromine as measured by the XRF gun indicated the presence of brominated fire retardants, a type of halogenated fire retardant. Tests were conducted primarily upon the polyurethane foam in furniture products, which is where fire retardants are predominantly applied. The XRF gun was standardized to ensure accuracy. Readings were taken using the XRF gun on 12 samples of foam with known levels of halogenated fire retardants; readings taken from the XRF gun were then compared to the known readings. As demonstrated in Appendix A, significant agreement was achieved for bromine measurement in eleven of twelve samples, with no agreement for Sample 2. Sample 2 is memory foam, which appears challenging to measure accurately for the presence of bromine.

Coalition for Clean Air

MomsRising.org

Commonweal

Monterey Fish Market

XRF guns are widely used by the USEPA, USFDA and

Consumer Attorneys of California

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

USDA for toxicity testing, soil sample studies and qual-

The Ocean Conservancy

by environmental groups to conduct environmental

Oceana

health assessments. Testing for the presence of

Physicians for Social Responsibility

lead—in children’s toys and other products—is one of

Consumer Federation of California Diversified Health Services Environment California Environmental Working Group Episcopal Diocese of California Firefighters Burn Institute Firefighters Cancer Support Network Get Able Healthy Children Organizing Project Healthy Child, Healthy World Marin County Board of Supervisors

Planning and Conservation League

ity control at national borders.

30

The XRF is also used

the most common uses the XRF gun.

Sacramento Fire Fighters Local 522 San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798 San Francisco Fire Marshal Sierra Club Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Trauma Foundation


13

STUDY FINDINGS We categorized our readings in the following manner: N L M H

Negligible: Low: Medium: High:

0-10 parts per million (ppm) 11- 500 ppm 501ppm-1,000 ppm 1001 ppm or higher

A reading was defined as high if it registered at 1001 parts per million (ppm) or above. Some furniture pieces tested as high as 60,000 ppm. Measurements indicated that 67% of all furniture tested in stores and 52% of all furniture tested in domestic residences contained high levels of bromine by weight. Findings from the furniture testing are organized in the following chart: LEVEL CATEGORIES

Negligible Low Medium High Total

FURNITURE TESTED IN STORES

FURNITURE TESTED IN HOMES

Percent of total; (# of pieces tested)

Percent of total; (# of pieces tested)

22%; (34) 9%; (14) 2%; (3) 67%; (104) 155 (100%)

19%; (37) 27%; (53) 2%; (4) 52%; (101) 195 (100%)

RECOMMENDATIONS & ACTIONS 1. Support AB706—write to Governor Schwarzenegger and your State legislators. 2. Take steps to protect yourself as a consumer: a. Before buying new furniture, ask the sales staff whether the product contains “halogenated fire retardants”. If they don’t know, don’t buy it. b. For existing furniture, look underneath the sofa, chair, or other foam products (including children’s cribs, etc.), to see if there is a label specifying that it meets California Technical Bulletin 117. If so, there is a high likelihood that it contains halogenated fire retardants. To be certain, you may wish to contact the manufacturer. c. There are numerous furniture makers now offering safer products. Some of these include all-wool linings and latex filling that are both fire-safe and free of fire retardant chemicals, as well as others that include more benign phosphate chemicals. These furniture makers can be found with a web search. Friends of the Earth’s website may offer information about suppliers (www.foe.org). d. When you buy upholstered furniture containing polyurethane foam, look for models where the foam is thickly covered or wrapped inside the cushion so dust from it is less likely to escape into your home. e. Buy wooden furniture or furniture filled with polyester, down, wool, or cotton. It is unlikely to contain added fire retardant chemicals. f. Vacuum often and use a HEPA filter to keep the dust level down in your house. 3. Support Friends of the Earth’s work to end the use of toxic fire retardants. Visit our website at www.foe.org to make a contribution.

14

APPENDIX A Foam Calibration Samples*

Br readings, known content

Br readings, provided by XRF gun

Sample #1

1.94%

2.13%

Sample #2

2.2%

11ppm

Sample #3

0%

5ppm

Sample #4

0%

5ppm

Sample #5

0%

8ppm

Sample #6

2.18%

2.48%

Sample # 7

0%

7ppm

Sample #8

0%

42ppm

Sample #9

0.43%

3498ppm (.34%)

Sample #10

2.07%

2.50%

Sample #11

3.26%

2.83%

Sample #12

2.38%

3.68%

* Calibration samples: control samples of polyurethane foam with known content

REFERENCES 1

Birnbaum L., Staskal D. (2004). “Brominated Flame Retardants: Cause for Concern?” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 112; Gundersen Y, Vaagenes P,

Reistad T, Opstad PK (2005). “Brominated Flame Retardants May Cause Brain Injuries In The Fetus And The Newborn” Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 17125(22):3098-100; Eriksson P., Jakobsson E., Fredrikson A. (2001). “Brominated flame-retardants: a novel class of developmental neurotoxicants in our environment?” Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 109, No. 9, pp 903-908. 2

Fischer, D. (2005). “A Body’s Burden: Our Chemical Legacy.” The Oakland Tribune. Available at http://www.insidebayarea.com/bodyburden/

3

Viberg H., Fredriksson A., Jakobsson E., Orn U., Eriksson P. (2003). “Neurobehavioral derangements in adult mice receiving decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE

209) during a defined period of neonatal brain development.” Toxicological Sciences 76, (1), 112-120. 4

Houlihan J., Kropp T., Wiles R., Gray S., Campbell C., Greene, A. (2005). “Body Burden: The Pollution Within Newborns.” Environmental Working Group. Available at

http://archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/contentindex.php 5

Lunder, S., Sharp, R. (2003). “Mothers’ Milk: Record levels of toxic fire retardants found in American mothers’ breast milk.” Environmental Working Group. Avail-

able at www.ewg.org/reports/mothersmilk/ 6

Jones-Otazo, H. A., Clarke, J. P., Diamond, M. L., Archbold, J. A., Ferguson, G., Harner, T., Richardson, G. M., Ryan, J. J., Wilford, B. (2005). “Is house dust the missing

exposure pathway for PBDEs? An analysis of the urban fate and human exposure to PBDEs”. Environmental Science & Technology 39, (14), 5121-5130; Stapleton, H. M., Dodder, N. G., Offenberg, J. H., Schantz, M. M., Wise, S. A. (2005). “Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in house dust and clothes dryer lint.” Environmental Science & Technology 39, (4), 925-931. 7

Zota A.R., Rudel R.A., Morello-Frosch R.A., Camann D.E., Brody J.G. (2007). “Regional variation in levels of indoor polybrominated diphenyl ethers may reflect differ-

ences in fire safety regulations for consumer products.” 17th Annual Conference of the International Society of Exposure Analysis. Research Triangle Park, NC. See the full abstract on the following website: http://library.silentspring.org/publications/pdfs/Zota_ISEAabstract_SSIwebsite.pdf


15

REFERENCES 8

Voorspoels, S., Covaci, A., Lepom, P., Escutenaire, S., Schepens, P. (2006). “Remarkable findings concerning PBDEs in the terrestrial top-predator red fox (Vulpes

vulpes).” Environmental Science & Technology 40, (9), 2937-2943; Chen, D., Bixian, M., Song, J., Suin, Q., Zeng, E., Hale, R. C. (2006) “Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Birds of Prey Collected from Northern China”, SETAC, Montreal, Quebec; Ross P. (2006). “Fireproof Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): Flame Retardant Chemicals and the Conservation Imperative in the Charismatic Icon of British Columbia, Canada.” Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Volume 63, Number 1, pp. 224-234 (11). 9

Schecter A., Harris T.R., Shah N., Musumba A., Päpke O. (2008). “Brominated flame retardants in US food.” Molecular Food and Nutrition Food Research, University

of Texas School of Public Health at Southwestern Medical Center 52(2):266-72; Johnson-Restrepo, B.; Kannan, K.; Addink, R.; Adams, D. H. (2005). “Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls in a marine foodweb of coastal Florida.” Environmental Science & Technology 39, (21), 8243-8250; Christensen, J. R.; Macduffee, M.; Macdonald, R. W.; Whiticar, M.; Ross, P. S. (2005). “Persistent organic pollutants in British Columbia grizzly bears: Consequence of divergent diets.” Environmental Science & Technology 39, (18), 6952-6960. 10

Dye, J.A., Venier, M., Ward, C.R., Zhu, L.Y., Hites, R.A., Birnbaum, L.S. (2007). “Pet cats in the U.S. have high polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) serum levels.” Envi-

ronmental Science & Technology 41,6350-6356. 11

LeMasters G.K., et. al. (2006). “Cancer risk among firefighters: a review and meta-analysis of 32 studies” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 48(11):

1189-202; Soderstrom G. (2003) “On The Combustion And Photolytic Decomposition Of Some Brominated Flame Retardants” Thesis, University of Umea, Sweden. 12

Birnbaum, op. cit., Vol 112.

13

Schecter, op. cit., pgs 266-72; Lunder, op. cit., www.ewg.org/reports/mothersmilk/

14

Fischer, D. (2005). “A Body’s Burden: Our Chemical Legacy.” The Oakland Tribune. Available at http://www.insidebayarea.com/bodyburden/

15

Lorber M. (2007). “Review: Exposure of Americans to polybrominated diphenyl ether”, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

16

Lind Y., Darnerud P.O., Atuma S., Aune M., Becker W., Bjerselius R., Cnattingius S., Glynn A. (2003). “Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in breast milk from Uppsala

County, Sweden.” Environmental Research 93(2): 186–194. 17

Little, S. (2006). “Feline Hyperthyroidism.” The Winn Feline Foundation. Available at: www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/hyperthyroidism.html; Nelson, R. W. (2004).

“Diagnosis and Management of Feline Hyperthyroidism.” Western Veterinary Conference; Hines, R. (2006) “Hyperthyroidism in Cats, Cause and Treatment.” Available at: www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm. 18

Dye, op. cit. 41,6350-6356.

19

Dye, op. cit. 41,6350-6356.

20

See Mount Sinai Medical Center for more information at www.mountsinai.org.

21

LeMasters, op. cit. 48(11): 1189-202; American Public Health Association, (1993) “Recognizing and Addressing the Environmental and Occupational Health Problems

Posed by Chlorinated Organic Chemicals” 9304. 22

Hall J. (2006). “U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates By State, Fire Analysis and Research Division” National Fire Protection Association, Ouincy, MA.

23

Betts, K. (2008). “Unexpected human impact on Antarctica.” Science News. Available at www.environmentalhealthnews.org.

24

Ross, P. (2006). “Fireproof Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): Flame Retardant Chemicals and the Conservation Imperative in the Charismatic Icon of British Columbia,

Canada.” Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Volume 63, Number 1, pp. 224-234 (11). 25

Schecter A., Ppke O., Harris T. R., Tung K.C., Musumba A., Olson J., and Birnbaum L.,(2006). “Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Levels in an Expanded Market

Basket Survey of U.S. Food and Estimated PBDE Dietary Intake by Age and Sex” Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 114, Number 10 26 27

Betts, op. cit.

Stiffler, op. cit.

28

Klosterhaus S., Davis J., Oram J., Hunt J., Harrold K., Sedlak M. (2007). Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in the San Francisco Estuary and what we do and do

not know about their potential replacements. Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Estuary Institute. Available at: http://greensciencepolicy.org/files/conferences/KlosterhausOptimized.pdf 29

Moore T., (2008). Statement of the Honorable Thomas Moore on the Vote to Approve the Draft Federal Register Notice for the Upholstered Furniture Rulemaking.

Available at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08182.html 30

For more information on XRF instruments, see: http://www.innovxsys.com/es/applications/forensics

16