FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Moms, Doctors, and Concerned Citizens Tell Legislators to Ban Toxic Flame Retardants

Today, in the waning days of legislative session, moms, doctors, and concerned citizens traveled to Olympia to urge legislators to vote "yes" on proposed legislation banning toxic flame retardants.

Today, in the waning days of legislative session, moms, doctors, and concerned citizens traveled to Olympia to urge legislators to vote "yes" on proposed legislation banning toxic flame retardants.

The legislation (SHB 1488 and SSB 5515) would ban polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are found to be building up rapidly in breast milk and the environment. The legislation would also require Ecology to study other actions to address PBDE contamination, and ensure state agencies purchase only PBDE-free products.

"Every time I breast feed my 4 month old son, he is exposed to chemicals that can disrupt his brain development," said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, national dust study participant and environmental health advocate with the Washington Toxics Coalition. "Now is the time for the legislature to take action to ban these toxic flame retardants."

PBDEs, chemical cousins of PCBs, can impair memory and learning and disturb thyroid hormone levels in lab animals.

"We need to take action now to get toxic flame retardants and other dangerous chemicals out of our homes and our bodies," said Barry Lawson, MD, president of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "The legislature should move to phase out all forms of toxic flame retardants."

Last year a study found levels of PBDEs in the breast milk of 40 Northwest women that were 20 to 40 times higher than the levels found in women living in Europe or Japan.

Under an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and a chemical manufacturer, two of the three main PBDEs in use, penta and octa-BDE, have been taken off the market beginning in 2005. The chemical industry is fighting to retain the use of the third most heavily used mixture, deca-BDE (deca), used primarily in plastic television casings.

"The legislature has a huge opportunity to protect children's health and the environment from these harmful chemicals," said Mo McBroom, with the Washington Public Interest Research Group. "Legislators should seize this opportunity now before toxic flame retardants become the new PCBs."

Currently, SSB 5515 is awaiting a vote in Senate Ways and Means and SHB 1488 is in the House Rules Committee.  The legislature has until April 24th to vote these bills into law.

Major public health, religious, environmental, and community organizations support banning PBDEs. These groups include: American Academy of Pediatrics- WA State Chapter * WA Academy of Family Physicians * WA Physicians for Social Responsibility * WA State Public Health Association * WA State Medical Association * Washington Toxics Coalition * Washington Public Interest Research Group * People for Puget Sound * Washington Conservation Voters * American Lung Association * Washington State Nurses Association* Breast Cancer Fund * Healthy Building Network * Washington Environmental Council * Institute for Childrens' Environmental Health * Northwest Environment Watch * Washington Association of Churches * Institute for Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders * Lutheran Public Policy Office * Northwest Environment Watch and many others.

Contact:

Laurie Valeriano
Washington Toxics Coalition
206-632-1545 ext. 114

Mo McBroom
WashPIRG
206-799-1589

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