The Chemical Threat at Home
BU researchers track PBDEs from our living rooms to our hormones
By Art Jahnke
read the report here
A report last week that California residents have twice the blood levels of a dangerous chemical cousin of PCBs as do people living in other states and in Europe is the latest revelation in a growing body of evidence of a serious threat to public health.
The report, published in Environmental Science & Technology, found that residents of two California communities had extraordinarily high concentrations of PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), which have been used for 20 years as a fire retardant in items from furniture to televisions to children’s pajamas.
Such findings have been worrying environmental scientists — including those at BU — for years.
Thomas Webster, a School of Public Health associate professor and associate chair of the environmental health department and a nationally recognized expert on PBDEs, remembers learning a decade ago of a Swedish finding that the concentrations of PBDEs in the breast milk of Swedish women were doubling every five years.
“For those of us who follow these things,” Webster says, “it was stunning.”
The Swedish findings were so alarming, he says, that they were the talk of environmental conferences for years. Within weeks, hundreds of scientists in labs all over the world had resolved to figure out exactly what kind of trouble we were in.
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I worked in Processing at Great Lakes Chemical. I would add PBDEs into foams, Plastics and test for fire retardant characteristics. I have no college degree, but the job before that was OSHA/EPA coordinator for Rubbermaid Inc, Reynolds IN. While working at Great Lakes Chemical, I started having events( I dont know what else to call them). These events would be like times my mind would slip, like your being drunk, for a few seconds to a few min. I was working with Toluene Diisocyanite making sofa foam type material, when I had a bad exposure to TDI. I was taken to the emergency room, and was released that day. I had been working with PBDEs while working with TDI. I was at all kinds of different doctors after that. I have been on medication for over 12 years because of that. Even before the TDI exposure I was having EVENTS, but I thought as others, TDI is a very toxic chemical, it was TDI that caused the problem. Let me explain what I call a Event, My mind slips, I know I can remember stuff, but right then I cant. Doctors latter treated me for panic disorders. I knew even then, I was NOT having a panic attack, or if I WAS, it was because of these events. Istarted a carpet buisness after Great Lakes Chemical, My kid that was concived durring my employment with Great Lakes Chemical. He was born Premature, but doesnt seem to have any effects(mental). I lost my wife, ( I belive cause of my mental condition) I lost my buisness cause of my mental compasity. I cant even remember how to do stuff, I used to do on my book keeping. Like, ok, I write checks for two years to my employee, I have to look up there last name!!!!, MY short term memory is GONE. Its getting worse!! I know I used to remember stuff, I cant.I remember all kinds of stuff before Great Lakes, but after the EVENTS, downhill from there. If it wasnt for my X-wife now, the employees I had, Iwouldnt of been able to keep my buisness as long as I did. So, we now know what I told doctors years ago, Im getting dumber each day, there fault. So, Im screwed.
I worked in Processing at Great Lakes Chemical. I would add PBDEs into foams, Plastics and test for fire retardant characteristics. I have no college degree, but the job before that was OSHA/EPA coordinator for Rubbermaid Inc, Reynolds IN. While working at Great Lakes Chemical, I started having events( I dont know what else to call them). These events would be like times my mind would slip, like your being drunk, for a few seconds to a few min. I was working with Toluene Diisocyanite making sofa foam type material, when I had a bad exposure to TDI. I was taken to the emergency room, and was released that day. I had been working with PBDEs while working with TDI. I was at all kinds of different doctors after that. I have been on medication for over 12 years because of that. Even before the TDI exposure I was having EVENTS, but I thought as others, TDI is a very toxic chemical, it was TDI that caused the problem. Let me explain what I call a Event, My mind slips, I know I can remember stuff, but right then I cant. Doctors latter treated me for panic disorders. I knew even then, I was NOT having a panic attack, or if I WAS, it was because of these events. Istarted a carpet buisness after Great Lakes Chemical, My kid that was concived durring my employment with Great Lakes Chemical. He was born Premature, but doesnt seem to have any effects(mental). I lost my wife, ( I belive cause of my mental condition) I lost my buisness cause of my mental compasity. I cant even remember how to do stuff, I used to do on my book keeping. Like, ok, I write checks for two years to my employee, I have to look up there last name!!!!, MY short term memory is GONE. Its getting worse!! I know I used to remember stuff, I cant.I remember all kinds of stuff before Great Lakes, but after the EVENTS, downhill from there. If it wasnt for my X-wife now, the employees I had, Iwouldnt of been able to keep my buisness as long as I did. So, we now know what I told doctors years ago, Im getting dumber each day, there fault. So, Im screwed.
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