Scientists wonders if flame retardants killed her cat

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Literally and metaphorically, Arlene Blum has climbed virtually every mountain she has set out to conquer – except one.

It's probably only a matter of time before she scales that one, too, given her ferocious tenacity and never-say-die attitude.

Blum, a biophysical chemist by profession with a doctoral degree from U.C. Berkeley, has taught at Stanford University, Wellesley College, and U. C. Berkeley. She is currently a visiting scholar at Berkeley's Department of Chemistry and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute.

"I want to use my knowledge and love of chemistry to inform people about these potentially toxic chemicals in their homes," the 63-year-old research scientist said recently, just days after she returned from a trip to China and Japan to try to help prevent those countries from suffering the same fate as the United States when it comes to toxins in household products.

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