Originally published January 23, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 23, 2009 at 3:38 AM

State will ban toxic flame retardants

Following the lead of European nations, Washington state will ban the use of toxic flame retardants in TVs, computers and other household products by 2011.

Seattle Times staff

Olympia — Following the lead of European nations, Washington state will ban the use of toxic flame retardants in TVs, computers and other household products by 2011.

The ban was triggered after Ecology and the Health Department ruled there were other safe flame retardants, a conclusion endorsed by a committee of fire-safety experts and the state fire marshal.

State officials say alternatives have become available to flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Several other chemical flame retardants meet Washington's standards for reducing flammability but are safer for human health, according to State Fire Marshal Mike Matlick.

Found in the plastics and foam used in electronics and upholstered furniture, PBDEs have been linked to damage in the brain development of laboratory animals, affecting behavior, learning and memory.

More Local News headlines...

Print Share: Digg Newsvine