A Pilot Study Of Polybrominated Flame Retardents On Household Dust Collected For A Small Sample Of Households

 The past twenty years increasing concerns over the side effects from flame retardant chemicals (FRC) have been brought to the attention of the public stimulating research and laboratory testing for potential dangers previously not associated with flame retardant chemicals. The current proposal LD182 follows other Maine laws establishing bans on specific flame retardants which include: LD 1568 which prevents the

It is vitally import to recognize that being expose to pollutants occurs not only outside of buildings but inside them as well. Home environmental health risks and the pollution of indoor residential air are the sources of injury and increase causes of illness, particularly in vulnerable population such as pregnant women, infant, children, the elderly and those living with chronic medical condition or disability. Health care professionals such as nurses plays a vital role in the prevention, education, and the screening of activities for patients. Chronic, long-term exposure to indoor air pollutants have increasingly being recognized as threats to health. Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning, sick building syndrome, and mold have been factors of environmental health

The World Health Organization estimated that more than 800,000 deaths worldwide were due to outdoor air pollution. Air pollution is a growing issue in industrialized areas due to exposure from industrial and traffic sources. Harm to the human body occurs from exposure to and inhalation of particulate matter (PM) (Barnes et al., 2012). PM is liquid or solid particles in the air, that when small enough in size, can be harmful to the human body when inhaled. Two common sizes of particulate matter are PM_10 and PM_2.5. PM_10 are particles that are 2.5 to 10 micrometers in size, and includes dust, mold and pollen just to name a few. PM_2.5 are particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in size, and consists of particles from vehicles, industries, and burning. Smaller particles are able to get into the lungs and potentially cause serious health problems (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2015). These health problems include acute cardiovascular events, changes to blood pressure, coagulation, myocardial perfusion, and chronic respiratory diseases (Barnes et al., 2012).

The scientific literature, Study: Residential exposure to air toxics is linked to lower grade point averages among school children in El Paso, Texas, USA, news source is by NCBI.

Out of all the flame retardants, the brominated flame retardants are used extensively used in the market because of their high performance efficiency and low cost(). There are 75 different types of brominated flame retardants which are recognized commercially. On the basis of highest production volume, the five major brominated flame retardants with their properties are classified as:

Human Health and the Environment PCBs cause a range of problems with people. They can be carcinogenic and cause cancer. They also suppress the immune system. "Studies in animals and humans suggest that long term exposure to PCBs can suppress the immune system."("Wisconsin department of health services")

As a result in this study, exposure to wood smoke, soot, exhaust, and cockroaches were shown to be associated with

Humans exposed to PCBs run the risk of many health c o m p l i c a t i o n s i n c l u d i n g a d v e r s e s k i n a n d l i v e r d a m a g e . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h Agency on Cancer, studies have found that PCBs are a definite carcinogen in humans and can cause cancer in animals as well ( IRAC Monographs, 2013). Individuals most at risk of PCB exposure are the employees who work in industrial settings. Studies have shown that mothers who worked with PCBs in factories gave birth to infants with lower birth weights and resulted in an increased number of premature births (PCBs and Human Health,

The assumption is that the receptor is otherwise healthy, and is only exposed to PCE during their working hours (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). This also assumes method of exposure is via inhalation for workers. However, due to the nature of tetrachloroethylene, particularly in vapor form, this means that residents in the vicinity of dry cleaning businesses and metalworking operations are at risk for exposure to PCE via inhalation as well. The amount of PCE residents are exposed to via inhalation can also be manipulated by the weather on any particular day. Windy days can mean less exposure to the contaminant, even in smaller living spaces nearer to the source of contamination, particularly if that space is well ventilated. The effects of PCE on children, the elderly, or those with compromised health mean that an acceptable reference dose may need to be lower than for a healthy, indoor

Injuries can still result from clothing that is flame resistant. The material is made to extinguish itself, but the material still becomes hot and melts which can burn the skin. The chemicals used in making material flame resistant can be harmful to humans. Some of the chemicals can cause impaired fetal brain development, reproductive problems, and cancer. Polybrominated Diphenyl a chemical used in flame resistant material was found to release gases during fires that would suffocate victims. Industries switched to an alternative chemical Chlorinated Tris, but some people still feel the risk of wearing flame resistant material is more detrimental than the risk of fire, and take measures to try and wash out the

{Winickoff, 2009 #220} THS has emerged as a public health concern due to many facts; the vast ways of human exposure to THS (dermal contact, ingestion and inhalation), THS chemical composition variations with aging, which makes it harder to evaluate the health effects of these residues. Furthermore, third hand smoke exposure may occur long after cigarette smoking, and there is no verification that the exposure may be reduced by increasing the rate of air exchange in the environment making it a special concern to children, because they may play on contaminated surfaces. {Kuschner, 2011

In chapter fourteen of our textbook, Environment: The Science Behind The Stories, it is made clear that the United States does not use the precautionary principle approach when it comes to evaluating how toxic a substance is (Withgott & Laposata, 2014, p. 382). This lack of precaution has proven to be dangerous when it comes to chemicals, especially when using polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). PBDEs are chemically engineered flame retardants used during the manufacturing process of clothing, bedding, and many other household goods. These flame retardants work by eliminating the fire’s oxygen supply, resulting in less damage to the item and a decrease in the chance of a larger fire (Hester & Harrison, 2013, p. 45). While PBDEs may have been necessary during a time when there were fewer fire regulations, it is clear that the negative effects of these flame retardants outweigh the benefits in today’s times.

“increasingly, children’s exposures to chemicals in the environment are understood to contribute to the causation and exacerbation of certain chronic, disabling diseases in children including asthma, cancer, birth defects, and neurobehavioral dysfunction,” (Landrigan). This displays that every child is exposed to chemicals in the environment and this causes them to have or develop many problems. This is certainly a safety hazard and should be stopped as soon as possible.

In addition to exposure from food products, occupational and environmental exposures pose additional and potentially concerning public health threats. Occupational exposure occurs primarily in industrial workers involved in the production and processing of BPA and other epoxy resins via inhalation and dermal contact. Its widespread use in thermal paper (as found in cash register receipts, books, labels, brochures, newspapers, food cartons) also implicates potential dermal exposure in cashiers and industrial paper workers (Michalowicz, 2014). It is such human industrial activity that is associated with the migration of BPA into the environment. Several research studies have demonstrated the leaching of BPA from polycarbonates, especially in the setting of prolonged use and repeated heating as can be seen in the use of infant bottles (Nam, Seo, & Kim, 2010). Similarly, BPA’s use in tin lacquer coatings (to prevent corrosion) has been shown to release up to 23 mcg per tin can, in a temperature-dependent fashion (Vandenberg et al., 2007). Such BPA exposures with their potential health risks have led some government and industrial organizations to cease, limit, or ban the use of BPA (Michalowicz, 2014). As this report will explore, more recent research suggests a poorer relationship between BPA and adverse human health outcomes, while also highlighting the need for additional studies on the broader

The Aracuo mill in Sault Ste Marie manufactures a range of medium density fibreboard (MDF) composite panels as well as a wide selection of thermally fused laminates (Arauco, 2016). The resin based adhesives used in the manufacturing process of these materials create a source for airborne formaldehyde in the workplace. This presents a substantial health concern for workers in the Sault Ste. Marie Facility. Subsequently, routine air sampling is conducted to ensure safe working conditions.