|
SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS
Breast-feeding still best despite environmental chemicals in human
milk
Cheston M. Berlin
| 'We strongly emphasize that the mere
presence of an environmental chemical in human milk does not
indicate that a health risk exists for breast-fed infants…
All information gathered to date supports the positive health
value of breast-feeding for infants… Breast-feeding
is widely accepted internationally as the gold standard for
infant feeding and has unparalleled advantages for both infants
and mothers…Advantages for infants include protection
from infectious disease, optimal growth including neurodevelopment,
and possible protection from certain diseases later in life.
It is important to preserve breast-feeding as the best nutrition
for infants.’ |
Cheston M. Berlin Jr., is an M.D., Professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, PA, and
Director of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Breast feeding still ideal for infants, despite presence of environmental
chemicals in human breast-milk, Medical News Today, Amy Buehler-Stranges,
23 September 2005, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=31069
Based on report from the Second Workshop on Human Milk Surveillance
and Biomonitoring for Environmental Chemicals in the United States
published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health
(September 2005, volume 68, number 20)
WWF-Greenpeace engage in scaremongering
Professor Alan Boobis
|
'These compounds can cause diseases but not at the levels
found in these tests (WWF-Greenpeace report – A Present
for Life) … Most chemicals were found at a fraction
of a part per billion. There is no evidence such concentrations
pose any threat to people's health. This is irresponsible,
hysterical scaremongering.' |
Prof . Alan Boobis is a Professor of Biochemical Pharmacology and
director of the Department of Health Toxicology Unit at Imperial
College London. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Biology and a
Chartered Biologist.
"Poison experts attack 'hysteria' over chemicals", The
Observer, 18 September 2005
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1572700,00.html
BSEF link:
http://www.bsef.com/newsmanager/uploads/poison_experts_attack_hysteria_over_chemicals.pdf
Dr. David Coggon quoted from the article “Chemical campaigns misleading” by R.Morelle, BBC News
|
'The message [WWF] are putting across is misleading, and deliberately so'
'One of the most important things in toxicology is to look at how a person is exposed and how much of a substance they are exposed to' |
Dr. David Coggon is Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health at MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit of the Southampton University and Southampton General Hospital.
Quote extracted from the article “Chemical campaigns misleading,” by R.Morelle, BBC News, 15 October 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6040146.stm
Prof. Alastair Hay quoted from the article “Chemical campaigns misleading’ by R.Morelle, BBC News
'The presence of these things is a warning that we are exposed to chemicals in the environment and we have to try and understand what it means – but it is wrong to frighten people.”' |
Prof. Alastair Hay is Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds
Quote extracted from the article “Chemical campaigns misleading,” by R.Morelle, BBC News, 15 October 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6040146.stm
The cardinal rule of toxicology: “The
dose is the poison”
Prof. Anthony Trewavas
| 'The traces of fire retardants (targeted
by the WWF in its recent campaign) on my furniture and my
television at least proves that these chemicals are doing
their job – protecting me. But WWF fails to provide
the necessary information for the public to make a balanced
judgement. Worse, a cardinal rule of toxicology is ignore:
All chemicals are hazardous, depending on the dose.’ |
Prof. Anthony Trewavas is a plant physiologist and the head of
the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of
Edinburgh. Prof. Trewavas is also a Fellow of the Royal Society
and a former government adviser on GMO issues.
Chemical Warfare, by Anthony Trewavas, The Wall Street
Journal, 2 November 2005, www.wsj.com
BSEF link: http://bsef.com/newsmanager/newstemplate.php?id=190
Environmentalists’ opposition to
flame retardants could lower fire safety
Prof. Anthony Trewavas
| ‘The number of xenobiotic compounds
identified in the blood by itself does not say anything from
a toxicological point of view but depends on the analytical
techniques and associated detection limits. For a proper risk
evaluation one needs to know the actual dose/concentration
– response relationship, preferable for humans…
Occurrence of given chemical in the human body is not synonym
with a risk or effect, but depends on the concentration –
effect relationship and associated lowest observed effect
level. This is a basic principle in toxicology!’ |
‘Effective Retardants’, The Scotsman, 18 April
2005
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/letters.cfm?id=410312005
Prof. Anthony Trewavas' s biography:
http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/institutes/plant/pages/staff_pages/T_Trewavas_staffpage.htm
World Wildlife Fund-UK National Biomonitoring
Survey 2003 does not say anything from a toxicological point of
view
Prof. Dr. Martin Van den Berg
| ‘Agitation by environmentalist
and consumer groups, aimed specifically at the most efficient
fire retardants ("it is better to let things burn more
often than use flame retardants"), has driven European
manufactured TV sets now to have the lowest possible fire
safety within regulation. Danish studies on European TVs show
they burn fiercely when ignited. In those European countries
for which detailed statistics are available, fires started
by TVs have increased by 40-100 per cent recently… Fire
retardants may affect the thyroid at one million times the
concentration of human exposure; but so do natural glucosinilates
found in all cabbages and Brussels sprouts, with a margin
of safety only 10-20 fold.’ |
Prof. Dr. Martin Van den Berg is the head of the Toxicology Division
at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) and WHO Collaborating
Centre for Research on Environmental Health Risk Assessment of Utrecht
University.
“Evaluation of the WWF-UK National Biomonitoring Survey
2003”.
BSEF link:
Please
click here
Lowest imaginable concentrations measured,
but no need to panic
Prof. Donald R.A. Uges
| "This is easy. Now you can even
measure the lowest imaginable concentrations, but what do
you do with it? If you don't know for sure whether the substance
is dangerous, and if you don't have an economic alternative,
this type of measures will lead nowhere. One has to remain
alert, but not spread panic…People reach the age of
80 to 90 years now. So our life is apparently not so unhealthy" |
Prof. Dr. Donald R.A. Uges is a clinical and forensic toxicologist-pharmacologist
at the University Hospital of Groningen, in the Netherlands.
‘Ons bloed zit vol gif, maar geen zorgen’,
Trouw, 17 November 2004, Pg. 3 http://www.trouw.nl
TBBPA has saved countless lives in protecting
electronic items from burning
Bob Neves
| ‘Although some halogenated products
have proven hazardous, many are actually important parts of
our daily lives…Halogens have proven themselves as good
flame-retardants, and are widely used in plastic- and epoxy-based
polymeric systems found in just about any household electronic
item including stereos, televisions, computers and VCRs. Many
products using halogenated flame-retardants self-extinguish
(UL V-0) when the source of the flame is removed. The main
halogen used in the PCB (printed circuit board) industry is
bromine, with tetrabrominated bisphenol A (TBBPA or T-Brom)
being the most abundantly used material in laminate, coatings
and components. When considering the death of halogen remember
that countless lives have been saved due to the use of TBBPA
as a flame-retardant.’ |
Bob Neves is the President of Microtek Laboratories, an independent
test facility based in the U.S. and China. He currently serves as
the IPC's TEAC Chairman, HDI General Committee chairman, Rigid Board
Test Method Task Group chairman, Laboratory Qualifications (IPC-QL-653)
Committee chairman.
The Halogen-Free Diet, By Bob Neves, The Circuit Tree,
11 January 2004
http://www.circuitree.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0,2133,136415,00.html
MeO-PBDEs already in the environment
Science Magazine
| ‘The MeO-PBDEs [Methoxylated polybrominated
diphenyl ethers] are more than 20 times as abundant as the
most prevalent flame-retardant component BDE-47 [Tetrabromodiphenyl
Ether] (0.038µg/g)…Certainly, these naturally
produced halogenated organic compounds were in the environment
and bioaccumulated many years before their industrial-scale
manufacture and subsequent release, beginning in the 1920s….Our
findings reveal that naturally produced MeO-PBDEs can accumulate
in the food web.’ |
Two Abundant Bioaccumulated Halogenated Compounds are Natural
Products, Emma L. Teuten, Li Xu, Christopher M. Reddy, Department
of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Woods Hole, MA, USA,
www.sciencemag.org, Vol 307, 11 February 2005.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/307/5711/917?rbfvrToken=6eb968972c97886d832d79678faf303c1192915f
SCIENTIFIC ORGANISATIONS
No health risks to breast-feeding infants
from PBDEs
Environmental and health report from UBA, German
Federal Ministry of Environment
| ‘There are no health risks to infants
from the quantities of PBDE ingested when breast-feeding,
according to the information currently available. Estimates
of the quantities of PBDEs ingested by infants when breast-feeding
range from 10ng/kg body weight/day for the average value and
50 ng/kg body weight/day for the worst case. These maintain
a safety margin (MOS) of > 10.000 times lower than the
NOAEL (no-observed-adverse-effect-level) for the most sensitive
toxicological end-products or below the ADI (acceptable daily
intake).’ |
Rückstände von Flammschutzmitteln in Frauenmilch aus
Deutschland unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von polybromierten
Diphenylethern (PBDE) - Abschlussbericht. Umweltforschungsplan des
Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit.
Aktionsprogramm „Umwelt und Gesundheit“, Förderkennzeichen
(UFOPLAN) 202 61 218/03
By Von Bärbel Vieth, Thomas Rüdiger, Barbara Ostermann,
Hans Mielke
Berlin, May 2005
http://www.umweltbundesamt.org/fpdf-l/2921.pdf
http://www.umweltbundesamt.org/fpdf-l/2920.pdf
Levels of Deca-BDE in human blood do not
represent a hazard to health
Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM)
| ‘The levels of Deca-BDE detected
in blood by the WWF study [2003 UK biomonitoring study] are
extremely small in comparison to those that might potentially
be associated with adverse effects. Given that the Deca-BDE
molecule is relatively inert and is dissimilar to chemicals
such as hormones that are naturally present in the body, low
levels of Deca-BDE in blood would not be expected to represent
a hazard to health (…).
‘A wide range of substances has been detected in blood,
but extensive investigation has been made of only a few of
these substances. As analytical techniques improve and detection
limits are reduced, an ever increasing number of substances
are likely to be detected…The presence of a substance
in blood merely indicates that exposure has occurred and is
not indicative of a risk to health.’ |
The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) is a major UK independent
centre of scientific excellence in the fields of occupational and
environmental health, hygiene and safety. The IOM is a World Heath
Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre and is an approved institute
of the University of Edinburgh, with collaborative links with other
universities, NIOSH, IARC, INRS and many other institutes in the
UK and abroad.
Contamination: the results of WWF’s biomonitoring survey.
Comments by Alison Searl, Institute of Occupational Medicine, 12
March 2004, pg.7 & p.13
BSEF link:
www.bsef.com/env_health/human_health/Doc%201%20IOM%20review%20WWF-UK.pdf
Presence of a chemical in a person’s
blood does not mean it causes a disease
US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
| “The measurement of an environmental
chemical in a person’s blood or urine does not by itself
mean that the chemical causes disease.” |
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aim to
enhance health decisions by providing credible information on critical
health issues and promotings healthy living
Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals,
US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health Division
of Laboratory Sciences Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, NCEH Pub. No.
05-0570, July 2005
http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/3rd/pdf/thirdreport.pdf
EU Scientific Committee confirms no health
effects from TBBPA
Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER)
| ‘The SCHER also agrees with the
conclusion that there are no concerns for the carcinogenicity
of tetrabromobisphenol A and supports conclusions ii)* for
all exposure scenarios since the Margin of Safety (MOS) are
very large.’ |
* In the framework of EU Risk Assessments, a conclusion ii) means
that there is no need for further information and/or testing and
no need for risk reduction measures.
| ‘… due to low systemic biovailability
and efficient conjugation of the phenolic groups in tetrabromobisphenol
A (TBBPA), bioaccumulation of this compound is not considered
to be of concern.’ |
Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER)
Opinion on “Risk Assessment Report on Tetrabromopbisphenol
A-TBBPA Human Health Part” (23 September 2005)
The EU Scientific Committees provide the Commission with the sound
scientific advice it needs when preparing policy and proposals relating
to consumer safety, public health and the environment. The Committees
also draw the Commission’s attention to the new or emerging
problems which may pose an actual or potential threat. More specifically,
the SCHER deals with questions relating to examinations of the toxicity
and ecotoxicity of chemicals, biochemicals and biological compounds
whose use may have harmful consequences for human health and the
environment.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scher/docs/scher_o_020.pdf
BSEF link:
http://bsef.com/newsmanager/uploads/ebfrip_statement_scher_opinion_tbbpa_oct_05.pdf
HBCD is safe: no further research on health
risks required
U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council
| ‘Based on existing review of toxicity
and use information, the conservative exposure assumptions,
and a hazard index of less than 1* for all exposure routes,
the subcommittee concludes that no further research is needed
for assessing health risks from HBCD.’ |
* A hazard index below 1 indicates that no adverse health effects
are expected as a result of exposure.
The US National Research Council is part of the National Academies
and is organized by the National Academy of Sciences. It is private,
nonprofit institution that provides science, technology and health
policy advice to the US federal government.
Toxicological Risks of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals, Subcommittee
on Flame-Retardant Chemicals, Committee on Toxicology, Board on
Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on Life Sciences,
National Research Council, 2000 (page 69)
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070473/html/
Workers’ exposure levels to Deca-BDE
are negligible and are not a health risk
UK Institute of Occupational Health (IOM)
| ‘The presence of relatively elevated
concentrations of deca-BDE in the blood of workers involved
in recycling electronics does not imply an associated risk
to health…The risk of adverse health effects arising
from these exposures is negligible and can be further reduced
in the workplace by the use of standard occupational hygiene
measures.’ |
“Review of the potential human exposure to decaBDE and
the associated risks to health”, UK Institute of Occupational
Health (IOM), 17 November 2003
http://www.iom-world.org/pubs/decasumrpt.pdf
Current US levels of Deca-BDE do not pose
health risk to children
Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité (INRS)
and Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques
(INERIS)
| ‘Despite the uncertainties, results
indicate that the aggregate exposures for children to decabromodiphenyl
ether for each scenario evaluated were at least an order of
magnitude (most being several orders of magnitude) below the
National Academy of Sciences reference dose for decabromodiphenyl
ether (4 mg/kg-day), whose evaluation relies on more recent
and more appropriate data than that of the USEPA's Integrated
Risk Information System (IRIS). The authors conclude that,
using the available data, current levels of decabromodiphenyl
ether in the U.S. are not likely to represent an adverse health
risk for children.’ |
Update on the Risk Assessment addendum of Bis(Pentanbromophenyl)
ether (Decabromodiphenyl) ether, Human Health Draft, 27 May
2005 carried out by the Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité
(INRS) and Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des
Risques (INERIS),
http://ecb.jrc.it/esis-pgm/esis_reponse.php?LANG=en&FROM=LISTE_EINECS&ENTREE=214-604-9
The National Institute for Research and Safety (INRS) carries
out study and research programmes aimed at improving public health
and safety at work. The outcome of these studies enables the INRS
to identify future needs in terms of prevention.
The National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks
(INERIS) is in charge of evaluating and preventing accidental or
chronic risks for men and the environment linked to chemical substances
and industrial or subterranean installations. The objective of the
INERIS is to control risks for a sustainable development.
Deca-BDE is not toxic: no further research on health risks required
U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council
| ‘Based on existing review of toxicity
and use information, and the subcommittee’s conservative
exposure assumptions, the subcommittee concludes that no further
research is needed for assessing health risks from DBDPO*.’ |
* Deca-BDE (brominated diphenyl ether) is also known as DBDPO (decabromodiphenyl
oxide)
Toxicological Risks of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals, Subcommittee
on Flame-Retardant Chemicals, Committee on Toxicology, Board on
Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on Life Sciences,
National Research Council, 2000 (page 94)
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070473/html/
FIRE SAFETY EXPERTS
Flame retardants save hundreds of lives
by preventing TV fires
Swedish National Testing and Research Institute (SP)
| ‘Finally, when considering the
risk associated with the use of flame retardants it is important
to also consider the risk associated with fires. Based on
the in-depth analysis of available statistics conducted as
a part of this study, it has been estimated that as many as
160 people may die each year in Europe as a direct result
of TV fires and as many as 2000 may be injured in the same
period. (…) while there is no documented evidence of
death due to the use of flame retardants.’ |
Fire-LCA Model: TV Case Study - M. Simonson, P. Blomqvist, A. Bolzidar,
K. Möller, L. Rosell, C. Tullin, H. Stripple, J.O. Sundqvist,;
Interscience, ISBN 91-7848-811-7 (2000), p. iv and p.138.
http://www.sp.se/fire/Abstracts/Abstract
2000_13.html
Fire safety and flame retardants
National Research Council (USA)
| ‘Overestimating risks from FRs
[Flame Retardants] might result in a net adverse effect on
public health if the uses of FRs that could reduce the risks
of death and injury from fires were avoided because of minor
toxicological risks estimated through such conservative assumptions.’ |
Toxicological Risks of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals, National
Research Council, National Academy Press, ISBN 0-309-07047-3, 2000,
p. 6-7.
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070473/html
Benefits of flame retardants outweigh
risks to human health
University of Surrey (UK)
| ‘Information available suggests
that the benefits of many flame retardants in reducing the
risk from fire outweigh the risks to human health. Many flame
retardants do not pose a significant risk to human health
and the environment.’ |
The Polymer Research Centre of the University of Surrey aims to
establish a research partnership with industry to identify and undertake
focused multi-disciplinary research in polymer science and technology
to support strategic industrial development, technology transfer
and problem solving, and to promote industrial innovation and competitiveness.
“Risks and Benefits in the Use of Flame Retardants in Consumer
Products” - G.C. Stevens, A.H. Mann, a report for the Department
of Trade and Industry, Polymer Centre, University of Surrey, January
1999, pg. 6.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/homesafetynetwork/bs_rfret.htm
Fire safety benefits of Deca-BDE
U.S. EPA’s Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation
Program
| ‘<Deca-BDE> is used solely
as a flame retardant to prevent or delay ignition in burnable
materials…At a minimum, an estimated 280 deaths are
avoided in the U.S. every year because of the use of brominated
flame retardants in the applications where <Deca-BDE>
is used. (…)
Flame retardants can reduce the risk of death or injury in
fires by preventing or delaying ignition, reducing the rate
that fire releases heat, reducing the quantity of toxic gases
produced, and increasing the time available to leave the burning
building. Studies have shown that flame retardants can increase
the time available to escape a burning building by a factor
of 15. |
The US EPA is the Environmental Protection Agency of the US Government.
Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation Program (VCCEP).
Data Summary. Decabromodiphenyl ether (A.K.A. Decabromodiphenyl
oxide, DBDPO) CAS # 1163-19-5. http://www.epa.gov/chemrtk/vccep/recent.htm
BSEF link:
http://www.bsef.com/env_health/hhr_decabde/Doc 1 vccep.pdf
Safe use of eight flame retardants in
upholstered furniture
U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council
| ‘Eight of 16 chemicals that may
be used to make upholstered furniture flame resistant pose
little or no health risk to people who may be exposed to them
in the home…About 100 Americans, most of them children,
die each year in home fires that start in upholstered furniture…The
eight chemicals that the panel deemed safe at this point are
hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), decabromodiphenyl oxide (DBDPO
or Deca-BDE), alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, zinc
borate, ammonium polyphosphates, phosphonic acid, and tetrakis
hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride. Although toxicity data
for some of them are inadequate for certain routes of exposure,
these chemicals were found to be safe even under the worst-case
exposure assumptions.’ |
Eight Flame-Retardant Chemicals Can Safely Be Used on Upholstered
Furniture, press release from the National Academies' National
Research Council, 27 April 2000
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309070473?OpenDocument
Full report:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070473/html/
By preventing fires, flame retardants
are good for the environment.
Orango miljö konsulter AB
| ‘Flame retardants save lives by
preventing fires, and preventing fires from propagating, which
in the wider sense is also good for the environment. There
is little basis, from an environmental perspective, to prohibit
the use of all halogenated flame retardants.’ |
Excerpted from the independent report ‘Brominated Flame
Retardants: A Global Status Report’. By Robert
Bloom, Andreas Eklund, Per Hedemalm, and Joachim Häggström
of the Swedish environmental consulting firm Orango AB, Göteborg,
Sweden, March 2000.
Meeting flammability standards
UK Environment Agency
| ‘An extensive range of product
standards, including EU, national and local regulations, has
arisen in response to market pressure and litigation. These
have resulted in more stringent flammability standards. Such
standards can currently be met only by using flame-retardant
systems based on brominated substances.’ |
‘Prioritisation of flame retardants for environmental risk
assessment’, Peter Fisk Associates for the UK Environment
Agency (www.environment-agency.gov.uk),
2003
The UK Environment Agency is the leading public body for protecting
and improving the environment in England and Wales. The agency is
responsible for a huge number of environmental services, but also
works closely with local authorities, and other government agencies
to make sure that the environment is well looked after.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Meeting the UK Fire Safety Regulation
UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
| ‘In all cases, regulations do not
stipulate the means by which the resistance standards are
to be met; they are therefore performance centred and manufacturers
can elect to meet them in whatever ways appropriate…In
the main these requirements appear to be met by the use of
chemical flame retardants systems included in combustion modified
foams and in back-coating for covering fabrics.’ |
Effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety)
Regulations 1988, Government Consumer Safety Research, UK Department
of Trade and Industry (DTI), June 2000.
The UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) strives for
'prosperity for all' by working to create the best environment for
business success in the UK. They help people and companies become
more productive by promoting enterprise, innovation and creativity.
They champion UK business at home and abroad by investing heavily
in world-class science and technology. They protect the rights of
working people and consumers and stand up for fair and open markets
in the UK, Europe and the world.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/homesafetynetwork/pdf/furn.pdf
|
