Good afternoon, Chair Monnes
Anderson and members of the committee. My name is Rhett Lawrence and I am an
Environmental Advocate with OSPIRG, the Oregon State Public Interest Research
Group. We are a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization
with more than 28,000 members across the state of Oregon. I appear before you
today to urge this Committee to support Senate Bill 962.
SB 962 is an important public
health measure that would begin to address problems caused by a dangerous class
of toxic chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. PBDEs
are synthetic bromine-based chemicals used as fire retardant additives to plastics
and in other applications. They are added to a wide variety of consumer products,
such as computer monitors, televisions, textiles, and plastic foams.
Unfortunately, because PBDEs
are merely mixed into plastics and do not chemically bind to them, these chemicals
leave the plastic and enter the workplace, our homes, and the environment. Though
not originally found in nature, PBDEs are now nearly ubiquitous in the environment
and they're turning up in animals as well. In the Columbia River system, we've
seen high levels in whitefish and salmon, and a recent study found levels of
PBDEs in Puget Sound orcas that were 2-10 times higher than levels found in
other whales around the world.
Most disturbing is the fact
that PBDEs are now turning up in frightening amounts in our own bodies and in
women's breastmilk. Human exposure to PBDEs comes from eating contaminated foods
and breathing the air, particularly indoor air in rooms with electronic equipment
such as computers and TVs. These chemicals remain in the body for many years
where they are stored in body fat and concentrate in breast milk.
As a result, PBDEs enter
the bodies of children through breastfeeding. It has also been shown that PBDEs
stored elsewhere in a mother's body can be released during pregnancy, cross
the placenta, and enter fetal tissues. A recent study of Northwest women found
PBDE levels in breast milk that were 20 to 40 times higher than those found
in Japanese and Swedish women.
Consistent with an unfortunate
pattern of the last half-century, the introduction and use of PBDEs preceded
systematic study of their health and environmental effects. As is still the
case with many chemicals in widespread use, toxicological data on these chemicals
is incomplete. The information we do have, however, raises serious concerns
that have only increased as more studies are completed. PBDEs are structurally
similar to the now infamous - and banned - PCBs. In retrospect, it appears the
appropriate public policy approach would have been to keep them off the market
and out of wide-scale use until rigorous scientific study had determined the
extent of the risk to human and environmental health.
Unfortunately, that did
not happen and a growing body of research now links PBDE exposure to a range
of adverse health effects including nervous system damage, learning and memory
impairment, behavioral changes, and fetal malformations. Health effects of exposure
to PBDEs also includes disruption of the body's thyroid hormone balance and
can result in a condition known as hypothyroidism which causes fatigue, depression,
anxiety in adults. In addition, some evidence has shown that women who have
lowered thyroid hormone levels in their first trimester of pregnancy are more
likely to give birth to a child with a lower IQ or even mild retardation.
There are three basic forms of PBDEs that we need to be concerned with since
they account for almost all of the product use on the market: penta-BDE, octa-BDE,
and deca-BDE. The chemicals are classified by the number of bromine atoms in
each molecule (Penta-BDE has five bromine atoms, octa-BDEs have eight, and deca-BDEs
have 10). After decades of increasing use, it now appears that penta and octa
will be phased out and the leading American manufacturer of these two chemicals
has agreed to a voluntary phase-out.
While the case for continued
manufacture and use of penta and octa has collapsed, manufacturers are still
trying to preserve the market for deca against mounting evidence that it poses
the same kinds of risks. Indeed, there is a growing body of data that indicates
that deca can be both toxic and bioaccumulative. Deca seems to be metabolized
by fish and converted into compounds associated with penta and octa. Other studies
have shown that, when exposed to sunlight, deca breaks down into penta and octa.
Fortunately, PBDEs are not
needed to achieve adequate flame retardancy and meet stringent flammability
standards. For example, substitute flame retardants are already used on printed
circuit boards and the plastic housings used in computers and other electronics.
Locally, Intel has completely phased out all PBDEs in its products, as have
other major manufacturers such as Ikea and Ericsson.
The bottom line is that
PBDEs are unsafe; they're turning up in our bodies and breast milk; and they
are not necessary. Senate Bill 962 will institute a needed phase-out of a dangerous
class of persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals and I urge this committee
to support it. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and I'd be happy
to answer any questions.
