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« The chemical industry's war on California toxics reform | Main | Carbon sequestration: Bubbly water for everyone! »

Imagine a tangled toxic mess

By Amanda

Imagine a flame-retardant chemical so clearly toxic that the National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization and the Consumer Product Safety Commission all consider it harmful. Enough studies document its link to cancer that manufacturers no longer use it in children's pajamas. It's also clearly linked reproductive and developmental problems in lab animals.

Now imagine -- and this probably won't be hard -- that the government still allows this chemical to be produced, and manufacturers use it increasingly in a wide variety of products, from couches to baby carriers, and that the EPA's website only lists studies by the chemical industry, only one of which was peer-reviewed or published. Imagine that all of those studies say the flame retardant is safe. (Try to imagine that you're surprised.)

So you're imagining a toxic chemical that's being used widely in consumer products, and you're probably thinking that your imaginary self would want to avoid it. Wish her good luck, and then imagine this: there's essentially no way to avoid it, not only because products that contain it aren't labeled, but because not even manufacturers know when this risky chemical is being used.

The chemical is real, and it's called chlorinated Tris. Angry? I imagine you are. I know I am. Chlorinated Tris is one of 80,000 reasons that we need a new chemical regulatory law.

Photo: Cutest Baby Ever by Call It Crazy.

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