5th International Symposium on Brominated Flame Retardants in Kyoto

Susan Klosterhaus gave a presentation entitled "Recent studies on the identification and occurrence of PentaBDE replacement chemicals in indoor and outdoor environments" at the 5th International Symposium on Brominated Flame Retardants held April 7-9, 2010 in Kyoto, Japan. Her presentation included information on the chemicals currently being used in furniture foam and baby products since the phaseout of PentaBDE began in 2004 and their detection in house dust, sewage sludge, sediments, and wildlife from samples collected in California and elsewhere in the United States. Key findings presented by others at the meeting included the presence of high concentrations of flame retardants in dust and air in cars, the association between exposure to PBDEs in the work environment and PBDE body burdens for office workers, the potential for developmental toxicity of TDCPP (a major PentaBDE replacement), and the widespread detection of non-PBDE, current use flame retardants in the environment. Brenda Eskenazi, a professor at UC Berkeley, presented data suggesting that PBDE exposure may be related to infertility, hyperthyroidism in pregnancy, lower birthweight for gestation, and poorer attention and hyperactivity in children. More information can be found on the conference website (www.bfr2010.com). The 6th International Symposium will be held in San Francisco in 2013.