House Opens Inquiry Into Flame Retardants

Two members of the House of Representatives have begun an investigation into the health and environmental impacts of flame-retardant chemicals. In April 12 letters, House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) asked Albemarle, Chemtura, and ICL Performance Products to provide information on the their top-selling flame retardants, including each chemical’s potential health, safety, and environmental effects. The lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on May 20 to examine the use and potential impact of flame-retardant chemicals, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers. A growing number of peer-reviewed studies suggest a possible link between exposure to certain flame-retardant chemicals and neurological, developmental, fertility, and reproductive problems in animals and in humans, Waxman and Stupak noted in a joint statement. In the letters, Waxman and Stupak requested information on each company’s 10 “best-selling” flame retardants since 2004, including the chemical and brand names of those compounds, volumes produced and sold each year, and consumer products in which the chemicals were used. Albemarle, Chemtura, and ICL were asked to provide the information by April 26.