Are Flame Retardants Ticking Time Bombs ?

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Incorporated into many everyday utensils, but also into certain food products, flame retardants have become a public health issue. Not only is their effectiveness in fighting fires debated, but their harmful effects on health and the environment are now being studied.

Whether they are made of bromine or phosphorus, flame retardants are aptly named for at least two reasons: on the one hand, they are used to fight fires; on the other hand, they are a time bomb.

Used in the manufacture of many products, these molecules can be directly incorporated into them, or added as additives. In the second case, as can be read in an article by The Conversation, they are widely released into the air, water, dust, or even food. As a result, said flame retardants imperceptibly enter the environment, before being ingested or inhaled by wildlife, or by humans.

Despite the fact that “the potential toxicity of different classes of flame retardants is difficult to establish,” as the article explains, researchers and epidemiologists are beginning to compile enough studies to prove that they are a cause for concern. The studies have noted problems with the reproductive and nervous systems, among other things. So much so that bromine-based flame retardants have already been banned by the European Union. Today, organophosphate flame retardants are used. For now, studies indicate that the latter are less dangerous, but we have little data.

The question remains whether it is worth the risk. Is adding these molecules to our household appliances, fabrics, or cleaning products really the best way to combat fire risks? ? According to Philippe Glorennec, professor of health risk assessment at the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP), who wrote the article for The Conversation, it would be better to take into consideration socio-economic factors that allow us to better target our measures to make them more effective. For example, this could involve fighting tobacco consumption or improving our housing stock.

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