More than 150 species of wild animals live in areas contaminated with fire retardants (chemical compounds added to various materials to make them fire resistant) on all continents of the world. This was reported by environmental scientists project Green Science Policy Institute (GSPI).
Fire retardants also threaten killer whales, red pandas, chimpanzees and other endangered creatures.
“Flame retardants don’t actually make TV cases and car interiors more fireproof, but they can harm people and animals,” said project leader Lydia Jal.
Chemicals found in nature included older, banned chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, as well as their newer substitutes, chlorinated paraffins and organophosphorus flame retardants.
Although chlorinated paraffins are known to cause liver, thyroid and kidney cancer in laboratory animals, they are still widely used in consumer products whose annual production exceeds 1 million tons.
Flame retardants accumulate in marine and terrestrial food chains, with the highest levels observed in marine mammals and birds of prey. For example, PCB levels in killer whales are associated with lower calves’ survival and weaker immune systems. Orca shells in Greenland, the Strait of Gibraltar and Hawaii have already been affected by the buildup of fire retardants.
Scientists estimate that half of the global killer whale population could disappear due to biphenyl pollution.
Flame retardants are also found in species that live far from where they are produced, used and disposed of. For example, high levels of chemicals were found in chimpanzees in a protected national park in Uganda. This indicates the potential for long-range transport of toxins.
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