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A chemical flame retardant and known toxic neuropoison is turning up in our food, particularly meat, at concerning rates according to a new study.  PBDEs or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (a close cousin of PCBs), which are found in many plastic containing household products from compters to sleeping bags, are not intended to keep your steak from burning, but instead can cause serious neurological damage and birth defects.  Trace amounts of PBDE’s began appearing in appearing in people all over the world in the late 1990’s, with U.S. residents showing the highest concentrations.  The European Union banned 2 out of the 3 types of PBDE’s in 2004, but the U.S. has been slow to follow suit, with only three states-California, Washington and Maine-placing bans on the retardant. 

The good news is that many companies have stopped or are planning to stop using PBDE in their products, but unfortunately no serious attention has been paid to the environmental effects of the discarded products or how the chemical could be leeching into our food system.  PBDE’s are likely entering our food chain by way of landfills that have contaminated our waterways, water that is then used for agriculture and livestock.  Chemicals like PBDE accumulate in fat, which would explain why meat-eaters have exhibited higher concentrations than vegetarians, but the neuroposion has become pervasive enough that we should all be concerned and demand more thorough testing.  As Alicia Fraser, an environmental health researcher at Boston University’s School of Public Health, points out in the Wired article, the U.S. needs to adopt chemical precautions similar to the European Union, where they test chemicals for safety before allowing their use, instead of our wait-and-see policy.  No word yet on how stay clear of PBDE’s yet (except for cutting back on meat, which is a great idea anyways), but stay tuned for more updates.