2018-May-31
PBDEs - Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
PBDEs are manufactured, flame-retardant chemicals that are used in many consumer products to make them difficult to burn. Products treated with PBDEs have been used in the home, businesses, and the transportation sector. PBDEs are members of a broader class of brominated chemicals used as flame retardants and are considered to be persistent organic pollutants – a group of highly toxic chemicals that are persistent in the environment. Whilst there is no definite information about the human health effects of PBDEs, toxicity testing indicates (according to the EPA) that PBDEs may cause liver, thyroid, and neurodevelopmental toxicity and are a concern for children’s health.
Annex 3 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) includes a risk management strategy on (PBDEs). The implementation of this strategy has several shortcomings. GBA has therefore supported the Canadian Environmental Law Association, National Wildlife Federation, and Toxics Free Great Lakes Network in their submission on this matter, see our letter: GBA PBDE submission may 31 2018