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DECA

A COMMON FLAME RETARDANT USED IN ELECTRONICS MAY BE MORE DANGEROUS THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.  LEARN WHY IT’S COMING UNDER FIRE ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

WHEN TWO TOXIC FLAME RETARDANTS - OCTA AND PENTA – WERE BANNED IN EUROPE, A SIMILAR CHEMICAL CALLED DECA WAS NOT CONSIDERED A HAZARD.

HALE: MORE RECENTLY, HOWEVER, PEOPLE ACTUALLY STARTED ANALYZING FOR DECA IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND IN HUMANS AND ACTUALLY STARTED TO DETECT IT.

THAT’S ROB HALE, A PROFESSOR AT THE VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE.  BY TESTING BIRDS OF PREY, HE REVEALED THAT NOT ONLY IS DECA BUILDING UP IN WILDLIFE – IT’S BREAKING DOWN INTO TOXIC FORMS THAT RESEMBLE OCTA AND PENTA.

HALE: INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THE MOLECULE WAS BASICALLY INERT. NOW WE’RE FINDING OUT THAT IT DOES BREAK DOWN AND IN REALITY, THE BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS ARE PROBABLY WHAT IS MORE TOXIC THAN THE PARENT COMPOUND.

AS A RESULT, SOME MANUFACTURERS HAVE STOPPED USING DECA.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

Click here to learn more about DECA and the potental effects of exposure.