Fact Sheet

Action Alert

Maine Audubon's 2007 Legislative Agenda

Require Safer Alternatives to PBDEs

protect the health of children and wildlife by requiring safer alternatives to PBDEs – toxic chemicals released into our homes and environment

Chemicals that cause learning disabilities don’t belong in our homes and in the blood and tissue of toddlers and fetuses.

This bill will protect children’s health by requiring safer alternatives to the use of PBDEs in consumer products.

These chemicals are added to plastics and textiles to reduce the spread of flames in a fire. Effective alternatives are available to meet the highest fire safety standards for TVs, mattresses and furniture.

Maine is a leader in environmental public health protection.

• Actions by the Maine Legislature have dramatically reduced mercury, arsenic and lead pollution over the last ten years without disrupting the state’s economy.

• In 2004, Maine joined other states and Europe in phasing out two forms of PBDEs - the brominated flame retardants known as Penta and Octa. That law set a goal of phasing out the most widely used PBDE known as Deca by January 1, 2008 providing that safer alternatives are nationally available.

• The levels of PBDEs are highest in young children and have been rising in breast milk, wildlife and the environment. PBDEs have been measured in Maine fish, household dust and sewage sludge. They are long-lived and build up in the food web.

• A new study by scientists at the University of Southern Maine shows that the PBDE Deca delays brain development and causes learning disabilities and behavior problems in lab animals, calling Deca a “potential human health risk.”

• Deca has been found in peregrine falcons at levels that may harm their development and PBDEs are building up in harbor seals, fish, birds and other wildlife.

This environmental public health legislation will:

• Protect children in our homes – Prevent new uses of Deca in mattresses, mattress pads and upholstered furniture. Deca is not needed to comply with new federal fire safety standards for mattresses or home furniture – many safer options are available.

• Protect the environment while ensuring fire safety – Phase out the use of Deca in televisions. Although 80% of Deca is used in TVs, the entire computer industry and some television makers already meet the highest fire safety standards without the use of Deca in the plastic casings. The major alternative is safer than Deca and works.

• Protect Maine businesses – The bill only applies to products in the home. The bill exempts industrial and manufacturing users, power companies and auto dealers.

• Hold the chemical industry accountable – Chemical makers must disclose the use of brominated flame retardants in products to retailers, consumers and the state.