Brominated fire retardants (PBDEs) have acculumlated in the environment, wildlife, in umbilical cord blood, and even in mother's milk. Babies are exposed to these chemicals during development, when breastfeeding, through their diet and by inhalation or ingestion of household dust. 

Exposure to PBDEs (Penta, Octa, and Deca) during critial windows of brain development can cause irreversable harm to areas responsible for memory and learning, which can worsen with age. 

In 1977, brominated Tris, which had been used to make children’s sleepwear fire resistant, was banned after it was found to be carcinogenic in animal tests and to leach into children’s bodies. Its replacement, chlorinated Tris, was also later phased-out after it was found to be a mutagen, meaning it changed DNA. Today, chlorinated Tris is the second most-used fire retardant in furniture, and was recently deemed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to be “a probable human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence in animals.”

In 2003, a study produced by Environmental Working Group showed that American women have 10-20 times the fire retardant chemicals in their breast milk as European women. One such studyshowed a correlation between a gential birth defect in baby boys and exposure to PBDEs in breast milk.

When brominated and chlorinated fire retardants (BFRs and CFRs) burn, they give off a black smoke containing dioxins and furans--two highly carcinogenic compounds. In November 2006, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published an analysis of 32 studies that found that fire fighters have significantly elevated rates of four types of cancer: multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate, and testicular cancer, likely resulting from chemical exposures at burn sites.

Toxic fire retardant chemicals put our pets at risk, too! Recent studies found that pet cats in the U.S. have very high levels of PBDEs in their blood. Researchers identified an association between the PBDEs in cats and hyperthyroidism. This is a new disease in cats that emerged around 1980 soon after PBDE's began to be used in significant quantities, and is now the second most common disease in cats.

Tell Governor Schwarzenneger to sign AB 706 and protect the health of children, fire fighters, cats, and the rest of us!