FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legislature Delays Bill to Ban Toxic Flame Retardants But Funds Further Action

Confusion created by out-of-state chemical industry interests and a time crunch at the end of the session resulted in the Washington State Legislature delaying action on an important bill that would have phased out the use of all forms of toxic flame retardants (PBDEs) in consumer products.

Confusion created by out-of-state chemical industry interests and a time crunch at the end of the session resulted in the Washington State Legislature delaying action on an important bill that would have phased out the use of all forms of toxic flame retardants (PBDEs) in consumer products. However, recognizing the need to eliminate these toxic chemicals, the Legislature did provide funding to the Department of Ecology (Ecology) to develop a plan for banning the most widely used form of PBDEs, called deca-BDE (deca). Ecology will report back to the Legislature with recommendations in December.

"Our primary responsibility is to protect children's health from these toxic exposures, which are preventable sources of harm," said J. David Heywood, MD, board member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. "We are encouraged that the Legislature took some action this year to eliminate these toxic flame retardants by allocating money in the budget for continued work on PBDEs, and look forward, with our expanding support, to securing a ban on PBDEs next year."

PBDEs, chemical cousins of PCBs, have been found to impair memory and learning and disturb thyroid hormone levels in lab animals. Last year a study found levels of PBDEs in the breast milk of Northwest women that were 20 to 40 times higher than the levels found in women living in Europe or Japan.

Laurie Valeriano, policy director for the Washington Toxics Coalition said, "We vow to continue the fight to get PBDEs out of our bodies and breast milk and will pass the legislation next year."

Under an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and a chemical manufacturer, two of the three main PBDEs in use, penta-BDE and octa-BDE, have been taken off the market beginning in 2005.

Banning deca -- the most heavily used form found in plastic television casings -- was the most controversial part of the bill. While a ban on deca in electronics is slated to take effect in the European Union in 2006, the chemical industry is fighting to overturn the ban. Toward the end of the session, industry created confusion around the status of the European deca ban by providing misleading information regarding a European technical committee's vote on the issue. This played a role in the Legislature's decision to wait a year to take action.

The legislation was championed by Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48) and Sen. Debbie Regala (D-27), both strong advocates for children's health issues. Senate majority leader Lisa Brown (D-3) fought hard to marshal the legislation. Nonetheless, after facing opposition from some members of House leadership, the bill died in the final days of the legislative session. The Legislature will have the opportunity in 2006 to take action after Ecology reports back on its plan.

"The question is not whether Washington state should ban deca, it is how," said Mo McBroom, staff attorney with the Washington Public Interest Research Group. "There is strong science and massive public support to phase out these toxic chemicals."

Major public health, religious, environmental, and community organizations support banning PBDEs. These groups include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington State Chapter * Washington Environmental Council * Washington Academy of Family Physicians * Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility * Washington Conservation Voters * Washington State Public Health Association * Washington State Medical Association * Washington Toxics Coalition * Washington Public Interest Research Group * People for Puget Sound * American Lung Association * Washington State Nurses Association * Breast Cancer Fund * Healthy Building Network * Institute for Children's 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
206-568-2850 ext. 102

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