Environmental toxins may be hurting North American eagles

New research indicates that bald and golden eagles in North America may be exposed to dangerously high levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are chemicals used in the production of a wide variety of textiles, ...

Flame retardants in blood drop after state ban

A class of flame retardants that has been linked to learning difficulties in children has rapidly declined in pregnant women's blood since the chemicals were banned in California a decade ago, according to a study led by ...

Non-harmful flame retardants with no additional cost

Flame retardants are often extremely harmful to health. Despite this, they are found in many types of synthetic materials which would otherwise ignite quickly. Empa researchers have now succeeded in producing non-harmful ...

Banned pollutants are still found in sparrowhawks

High levels of polluting chemicals which are used as flame retardants have been detected in the livers of sparrowhawks in the UK. So-called PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers) are a group of 209 closely related chemicals ...

Study finds common fire retardant harmful to aquatic life

A new study by Baylor University environmental health researchers found that zebra fish exposed to several different technical mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – a common fire retardant – during ...