By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 news editor
It is known for being one of the most effective flame retardants around. But while the fire safety qualities of deca have never been in doubt, environmentalists claim deca and other polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are potentially toxic and should be banned from use.
With Washington on the verge of becoming the first state to ban all forms of PBDEs, other states are likely to follow suit in the coming months, which may mean ramifications for firefighters across the country.
The legislation’s likely success in Washington follows two previously failed attempts to introduce it.
This year, crucially, it has the backing of the Washington Fire Chiefs (WFC).
“This is the third bill that has been before legislators,” said Mike Brown, executive director of the group. “The two previous years, we opposed the legislation.”
The organization’s backing came only after concessions were made. In previous versions of the bill, proponents sought a swift ban on most uses of PBDEs.
Suitable replacement
This year’s legislation requires that a suitable flame retardant be found and agreed upon by fire department leaders before any ban can come into effect.
“We opposed the bill before because of the fact we were not aware of an acceptable alternative,” Brown said.
“Our concern was that the removal of the PBDE deca fire retardant would actually put firefighters at a bigger risk than they already are if things such as plastics, computers and television sets did not have a fire retardant.
“It would have meant they would be fighting fires in a worse environment than they currently do.”
A meeting last fall between various groups, including Brown and the Department of Ecology, cleared the way for this year’s new legislation.
The WFC recommended that one way to get its support would be to set up an official mechanism to find an acceptable alternative before banning PBDEs.
“The previous bills would have forced the industry to do one of two things – either quit using a fire retardant or find their own alternative, which would have meant we wouldn’t have known if it was a better or worse retardant,” Brown said.
“It (deca) is what we are used to and is very effective. Over the past, they have been the most effective fire retardant we have seen in certain items. We know they work.”
Widely used
Deca is a brominated flame retardant used in a variety of consumer electronic and electrical appliances. While fire-retardant manufacturers have already stopped producing two versions of PBDEs – penta and octa – deca is still widely used.
Its continued use has come under criticism from some quarters, with environmentalists claiming the chemicals can affect the development of children’s brains and interfere with the thyroid gland.
But John Kyte, U.S. regulatory affairs support officer for the Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, an international organization representing chemical manufacturers, said claims against deca’s toxicity were unfounded.
The ban could have lethal consequences for firefighters, he warned.
“Firefighters are in the middle of a political battle, not a scientific battle,” Kyte said.
“Their jobs and their lives could be affected by this.”
Deca was exempted from a European Union ban on PBDEs after a 10-year study ruled it did not pose health or environmental risks, according to Kyte.
“The critical thing to remember is that none of the alternatives have the track record of deca,” Kyte said.
“We simply don’t know as much about them, so we could well find ourselves in the situation where we don’t have a clear understanding of the potential problems in alternatives.”
‘Very concerned’
Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, the bill’s prime sponsor, said that the new version of the bill would not compromise fire safety.
“The aim is to protect young children from an industrial chemical that we are very concerned about, while not affecting fire safety,” he said.
“Fire safety groups in Washington state agree and are largely supporting our bill this year. We’ve done a lot of work to provide a clear exemption process for cases that need special handling.
“We have the votes and expect to move the bill this year, and I expect it will provide a model for other states.”
In the legislation, deca will be banned from mattresses from 2008, and from electronics and furniture in 2011.
The restrictions will only be enforced once a fire-safety committee of state and local officials finds a good alternative.
Patrick Morrison, director of health and safety at the International Association of Fire Firefighters, said his organization was currently looking at alternatives, too.
“We are looking at possible substitutes, whether there is something out there that can do the same thing as deca, but is safer on the environment,” he said. “The first thing we would need to know from a substitute is does it do its job?
“I know there are environmental concerns about deca. But it is something that has proven to be effective and is cheap, too.
“The bottom line is is that if deca is replaced, will it mean a rise in residential and commercial fires?”