December 2005

BFRL Monthly Highlights

September 2005

October 2005

November 2005

December 2005

January 2006

PAST Highlights

---

NIST Hosts Workshop on Brominated Flame Retardants

On June 13-14, 2005, NIST hosted the seventh annual Workshop on Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) in the Environment. The workshop was organized by Heather Stapleton and Nathan Dodder of the Analytical Chemistry Division (CSTL) and co-sponsored by the Analytical Chemistry Division and Fire Research Division (BFRL). More than 140 international participants from academia, government, and industry attended the workshop, which brought together scientists and science advocacy groups to discuss the latest BFR research and to stimulate collaborations for future work.

The annual BFR workshops began in 1999, and since that time interest in the environmental impact of BFRs has grown significantly. Particular attention has been given to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. PBDEs are synthetic compounds added to numerous types of polymers, and are primarily used to flame retard electronics and polyureathane foam. Increasing temporal concentrations of PBDEs have been reported in environmental matrices such as seabird eggs, marine mammal blubber, sediments, and human samples. The concentrations of PBDEs in human serum and breast milk from the U.S. population are the highest in the world and are 20 times higher than individuals from European countries. Analyses of food samples have demonstrated that the U.S. population is exposed to PBDEs through the diet. Highlights of the workshop were presentations on the concentration of PBDEs in house dust and indoor air, which suggest that indoor environments may also be important routes of human exposure.

The keynote speakers at the workshop were Andreas Sjödin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Robert Letcher from the Canadian Wildlife Service. Sjödin presented recent data on the current levels of BFRs in the U.S. population. Letcher provided a review of the current understanding on the toxicity of BFRs, particularly the PBDEs.

CONTACT:
Nathan Dodder
nathan.dodder@nist.gov

 

Privacy Policy  /  Security Notice  /  Accessibility Disclaimer  |  FOIA  |  Information Quality  |  About NIST NIST is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce