Read the Body of Evidence report about toxins found in the bodies of 13 Mainers who volunteered to be tested. This report was done by the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine - of which NRCM is a member.
Learn more about the 2007 Deca bill and how you can help to phase out these toxics in Maine.
You're in Jeopardy.
Watch this 3-minute movie and learn more about the risk posed by toxic chemicals in common household items.
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| Brominated flame retardants can be found in some home furnishings and upholstery. |
Flame retardants used in fabrics, foams and various other plastics have helped to stop fires and save lives. However, the many of the brominated ones, including PBDEs, are toxic. They can permanently damage brain and reproductive systems and cause learning disabilities in children.
Scientists have learned that PBDE flame retardants steadily migrate from the products to which
they were added and build up
in the
fat tissue of people and animals. This has prompted bans and phase-outs in Europe and several states.
Fortunately, there are effective flame retardants already in widespread use that are far safer, and do not build up in people and animals and persist in the environment.
In 2004, the Maine Legislature banned two of these dangerous PBDE flame retardants, setting the stage for a three-year fight to ban “deca,” the last commercial PBDE flame retardant and the most widely used.
In 2007, NRCM worked in conjunction with the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine to pass a law to phase out deca in electronics, and prohibit its use in new mattresses and home furniture. This nationally precedent-setting law effectively eliminates deca from commerce as it sends a message to the marketplace that alternatives should be chosen to protect public health and the environment.