NOAA scientists, in a first-of-its-kind report issued recently, state
that Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), chemicals commonly used in
commercial goods as flame retardants since the 1970s, are found in all
United States coastal waters and the Great Lakes, with elevated levels
near urban and industrial centers.
The new findings are in contrast to analysis of samples as far back as
1996 that identified PBDEs in only a limited number of sites around the
nation.
Based on data from NOAA's Mussel Watch Program, which has been
monitoring coastal water contaminants for 24 years, the nationwide survey
found that New York's Hudson Raritan Estuary had the highest overall
concentrations of PBDEs, both in sediments and shellfish. Individual sites
with the highest PBDE measurements were found in shellfish taken from
Anaheim Bay, Calif., and four sites in the Hudson Raritan Estuary.
NOAA's Mussel Watch ProgramWatersheds that include the Southern
California Bight, Puget Sound, the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico off
the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. coast, and Lake Michigan waters near
Chicago and Gary, Ind. also were found to have high PBDE concentrations.
NOAA's Mussel Watch Program "This is a wake-up call for Americans
concerned about the health of our coastal waters and their personal
health," said John H. Dunnigan, NOAA assistant administrator of the
National Ocean Service. "Scientific evidence strongly documents that these
contaminants impact the food web and action is needed to reduce the
threats posed to aquatic resources and human health."
PBDEs are man-made toxic chemicals used as flame retardants in a wide
array of consumer products, including building materials, electronics,
furnishings, motor vehicles, plastics, polyurethane foams and textiles
since the 1970s. A growing body of research points to evidence that
exposure to PBDEs may produce detrimental health effects in animals,
including humans. Toxicological studies indicate that liver, thyroid and
neurobehavioral development may be impaired by exposure to PBDEs. They are
known to pass from mother to infant in breast milk.
Similar in chemical structure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs,
they have raised concerns among scientists and regulators that their
impacts on human health will prove comparable. PBDE production has been
banned in a number of European and Asian countries. In the U.S.,
production of most PBDE mixtures has been voluntarily discontinued.
The NOAA Mussel Watch survey found that the highest concentrations of
PBDEs in the U.S. coastal zone were measured at industrial and urban
locations. Still, the chemicals have been detected in remote places far
from major sources, providing evidence of atmospheric transport.
Significant sources of PBDEs introduction into the environment include
runoff and municipal waste incineration and sewage outflows. Other
pathways include leaching from aging consumer products, land application
of sewage sludge as bio-solids, industrial discharges and accidental
spills.
NOAA and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project have
recently held meetings with representatives from the Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, and the California State Water Resources Control
Board to discuss water quality monitoring of emerging contaminants. NOAA's
research and monitoring information found in this report will be used by
relevant resource managers to better understand, assess and address the
threats from PBDEs.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from
the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and
manages our coastal and marine resources.
SOURCE: NOAA