San Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants

Abstract

Vol. 118, No. 12 EditorialOpen AccessSan Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame RetardantsThis article comments on the following:Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants: The San Antonio Statement Joseph DiGangi, Arlene Blum , Åke Bergman, Cynthia A. de Wit, Donald Lucas, David Mortimer, Arnold Schecter, Martin Scheringer, Susan D. Shaw, and Thomas F. Webster Joseph DiGangi International POPs Elimination Network, Berkeley, California, USA Search for more papers by this author , Arlene Blum Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California, USA Search for more papers by this author , Åke Bergman Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, and Search for more papers by this author , Cynthia A. de Wit Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Search for more papers by this author , Donald Lucas Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA Search for more papers by this author , David Mortimer Food Standards Agency, London, United Kingdom Search for more papers by this author , Arnold Schecter University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, Texas, USA Search for more papers by this author , Martin Scheringer Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Search for more papers by this author , Susan D. Shaw Marine Environmental Research Institute, Center for Marine Studies, Blue Hill, Maine, USA Search for more papers by this author , and Thomas F. Webster Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Search for more papers by this author Published:1 December 2010https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1003089Cited by:64AboutSectionsPDF Supplemental Materials ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit We, scientists from a variety of disciplines, declare the following:Parties to the Stockholm Convention have taken action on three brominated flame retardants that have been listed in the treaty for global elimination. These substances include components of commercial penta-bromodiphenyl ether and commercial octa-bromodiphenyl ether, along with hexabromobiphenyl. Another brominated flame retardant, hexabromocyclododecane, is under evaluation.Many commonly used brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can undergo long-range environmental transport.Many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants appear to be persistent and bioaccumulative, resulting in food chain contamination, including human milk.Many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants lack adequate toxicity information, but the available data raises concerns.Many different types of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants have been incorporated into products even though comprehensive toxicological information is lacking.Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants present in a variety of products are released to the indoor and outdoor environments.Near-end-of-life and end-of-life electrical and electronic products are a growing concern as a result of dumping in developing countries, which results in the illegal transboundary movement of their hazardous constituents. These include brominated and chlorinated flame retardants.There is a lack of capacity to handle electronic waste in an environ-mentally sound manner in almost all developing countries and countries with economies in transition, leading to the release of hazardous substances that cause harm to human health and the environment. These substances include brominated and chlorinated flame retardants.Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can increase fire toxicity, but their overall benefit in improving fire safety has not been proven.When brominated and chlorinated flame retardants burn, highly toxic dioxins and furans are formed.Therefore, these data support the following:Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants as classes of substances are a concern for persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and toxicity.There is a need to improve the availability of and access to information on brominated and chlorinated flame retardants and other chemicals in products in the supply chain and throughout each product’s life cycle.Consumers can play a role in the adoption of alternatives to harmful flame retardants if they are made aware of the presence of the substances, for example, through product labeling.The process of identifying alternatives to flame retardants should include not only alternative chemicals but also innovative changes in the design of products, industrial processes, and other practices that do not require the use of any flame retardant.Efforts should be made to ensure that current and alternative chemical flame retardants do not have hazardous properties, such as mutagenicity and carcinogenicity, or adverse effects on the reproductive, developmental, endocrine, immune, or nervous systems.When seeking exemptions for certain applications of flame retardants, the party requesting the exemption should supply some information indicating why the exemption is technically or scien-tifically necessary and why potential alternatives are not technically or scientifically viable; a description of potential alternative processes, products, materials, or systems that eliminate the need for the chemical; and a list of sources researched.Wastes containing flame retardants with persistent organic pollutant (POP) characteristics, including products and articles, should be disposed of in such a way that the POP content is destroyed or irreversibly transformed so that they do not exhibit the charac-teristics of POPs.Flame retardants with POP characteristics should not be permitted to be subjected to disposal operations that may lead to recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse, or alternative uses of the substances.Wastes containing flame retardants with POP properties should not be transported across international boundaries unless it is for disposal in such a way that the POP content is destroyed or irreversibly transformed.It is important to consider product stewardship and extended producer responsibility aspects in the life-cycle management of products containing flame retardants with POP properties, including electronic and electrical products.SignatoriesSan Antonio Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame RetardantsSignatories as of publication date. Institutions are for identification purposes only.Sam Adu-Kumi, M.S., Deputy Director, Environmental Protection Agency, Accra, GhanaBjörn Albinson, Fire Protection Engineer (retired), Karlstad, SwedenHenrik Alm, M.S., Doctoral Student, Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Toxicology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenMisha Askren, M.D., F.A.A.F.P., Physician, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Pasadena, CA, USARalph Baker, M.S., Ph.D., Chief Scientist, TerraTherm Inc., Fitchburg, MA, USAJohn Balmes, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAScott Bartell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USAGeorg Becher, Ph.D., Department Director and Professor, Analytical Chemistry, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, NorwayDavid C. Bellinger, Ph.D., Professor, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USAStephen Bent, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USAÅke Bergman, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden, and Board Member, International Panel on Chemical Pollution, Zürich, SwitzerlandAnders Bignert, Ph.D., Professor, Contaminant Research, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, SwedenJustina Björklund, M.S., Graduate Student, Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenArlene Blum, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAChristian Bogdal, Ph.D., Researcher, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, SwitzerlandPhil Brown, Ph.D., Professor, Sociology and Environmental Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USADavid Camann, M.S., Staff Scientist, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USACarmela Centeno, M.S., Ph.D., Industrial Development Officer, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna, AustriaIbrahim Chahoud, Ph.D., Professor of Reproductive Toxicology, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyEliza Chin, M.D., M.P.H., President, American Medical Women’s Association, Philadelphia, PA, USABrock Chittim, M.S., General Manager, Wellington Laboratories, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaCarsten Christophersen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkBradley Clarke, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Imperial College, London, United KingdomTheo Colborn, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USAKathleen Collins, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USATerrence Collins, Ph.D., Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry and Director of the Institute for Green Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USAAdrian Covaci, Ph.D., Professor, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumCraig Criddle, Ph.D., Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USAMargarita Curras-Collazo, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USAKyle D’Silva, Ph.D., Product Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Dreieich, GermanyDevra Davis, M.A., Ph.D., M.P.H, Visiting Professor, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA, and Founder, Environmental Health Trust, Teton Village, WY, USAJoao De Assuncao, M.S., Ph.D., Professor and Department Head, Environmental Health, University of Sao Paulo School of Public Health, Sao Paulo, BrazilCynthia A. de Wit, Ph.D., Professor, Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenMike Denison, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USAMiriam Diamond, Ph.D., Professor, Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoseph DiGangi, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and Technical Advisor, International POPs Elimination Network, Berkeley, CA, USAAlin Dirtu, Ph.D., Researcher, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumMichelle Douskey, Ph.D., Lecturer, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkley, CA, USAAnne Ehrlich, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USADavid Epel, Ph.D., Jane & Marshall Steel Jr. Professor Emeritus in Marine Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USABrenda Eskenazi, M.A., Ph.D., Jennifer and Brian Maxwell Professor of Maternal Health and Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USATim Evans, Ph.D., Cancer Registration Information Manager, West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit, Birmingham, United KingdomPeter Fantke, Ph.D., Research Associate, Institute of Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, GermanyJoseph Gardella Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Larkin Chair of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USAPhilip Germansderfer, D.Sc., International Marketing Sales, Fluid Managment Systems, Watertown, MA, USAGillian Gibson, M.Sc., Environmental Scientist, Gibson Consulting and Training, Cheshire, United KingdomAndreas Gies, Ph.D., Director and Professor, Department for Environmental Hygiene, Federal Environment Agency, Berlin, GermanyRobert Gould, M.D., President, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Berkeley, CA, USAKonstanze Grote, Ph.D., Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charité University Medical School Berlin, Berlin, GermanyRui Guo, Ministry of Environment, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJana Hajslova, Ph.D., Head of Department of Food Analysis, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech RepublicRalph Hall, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, USABruce Hammock, Ph.D., Professor, Entomology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USATran Thi Tuyet Hanh, M.P.H., Lecturer in Environmental Health, Hanoi School of Public Health, Hanoi, VietnamKim Harley, Ph.D., Associate Director, Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAStuart Harrad, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United KingdomRobert Harrison, M.D., M.P.H., Clinical Professor, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USALine Smastuen Haug, Doctoral Student, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, NorwayYasuhiro Hirai, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Environment Preservation Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanIvan Holoubek, Ph.D., Director and Professor, Masaryk University, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Brno, Czech RepublicRon Hoogenboom, Ph.D., Toxicologist, RIKILT Institute of Food Safety, Wageningen University and Research Center, Wageningen, the Netherlands, and Board Member, International Panel on Chemical Pollution, Zürich, SwitzerlandDavid Hope, CEO, Pacific Rim Laboratories, Surrey, British Columbia, CanadaWilliam J. Hirzy, Ph.D., Chemist in Residence, American University, Washington, DC, USAHeinrich Huehnerfuss, Ph.D., Professor, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanyAlastair Iles, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USATomohiko Isobe, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Ehime University, Matsuyama City, JapanKristina Jakobsson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, SwedenSarah Janssen, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York City, NY, USANiklas Johansson, Scientist, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SwedenCatherine Karr, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., Assistant Professor and Director, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USADonald Kennedy, Ph.D., Bing Professor of Environmental Science, Emeritus, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA, and Editor Emeritus, ScienceSergio Kuriyama, Ph.D., Guest Scientist, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, National School of Public Health, Fiocruz, BrazilJames Leckie, M.S., Ph.D., C.L. Peck, Class of 1906 Professor of Engineering and Director, Center for Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USAPamela Lein, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular Biosciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USAJuliana Leonel, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, BrazilMark Levine, Ph.D., Leader, China Energy Group, and Former Director, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USADonald Lucas, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Environment, Health, and Safety Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USARichard Luthy, Ph.D., Silas H. Palmer Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USAKarl Mair, D.Sc., Senior Scientist, Eco Research SRL, Bolzano, ItalyGovindan Malarvannan, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, Matsuyama City, JapanJohn Meeker, M.S., Sc.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USARichard Meigs, P.E., Senior Principal Engineer, RJR Engineering, Ventura, CA, USAMark Miller, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, and Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USAPaolo Mocarelli, M.D., Professor and Director, Department of Clinical Pathology, University of Milano Bicocca, Milano, ItalyRachel Morello-Frosch, M.P.H., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAJochen Mueller, Ph.D., Professor, University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaTom Muir, M.S., Retired, Environment Canada, Québec City, Quebec, CanadaMartin Mulvihill, Ph.D., Associate Director for Education and Outreach, Center for Green Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAAnbu Munasamy, M.S., Ph.D., National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology–Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Thiruvananthapuran, Kerala, IndiaRichard Murphy, Ph.D., Director of Science and Education, Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Futures Society, Santa Barbara, CA, USATakeshi Nakano, Ph.D., Research Professor, Center for Advanced Science and Innovation, Osaka University, Osaka, JapanShoji Nakayama, M.D., Ph.D., National Research Council Associate, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USAAmgalan Natsagdorj, Ph.D., Department Head, Environmental Chemistry, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaWilliam Nazaroff, Ph.D., Daniel Tellep Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAJohn Neuberger, Dr.Ph., M.P.H., M.B.A., Professor, Preventative Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USAJessica Norrgran, Doctoral Student, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenFardin Oliaei, Ph.D., M.P.A., Consultant, Cambridge EnviroScience Consulting, LLC, Cambridge, MA, USAKees Olie, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsOlaf Paepke, Ph.D., Eurofins, Hamburg, GermanyVictoria Persky, M.D., Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USAAgneta Rannug, Ph.D., Professor, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SwedenUlf Rannug, Ph.D., Professor, Genetics, Microbiology and Toxicology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenEric Reiner, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaMartin Reinhard, Ph.D., Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USAKaren Rice, M.D., Physician, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Walnut Creek Kaiser, Walnut Creek, CA, USARobert H. Rice, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USAAnthony Roach, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Government of New South Wales, Sydney, AustraliaDavid Roberts, Ph.D., William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Astrophysics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USAMary Roberts, Ph.D., Professor, Chemistry, Boston College, Boston, MA, USAChristina Ruden, Ph.D., Professor, Philosophy and the History of Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SwedenCindy Lee Russell, M.D., Vice President of Community Health, Santa Clara County Medical Association, San Jose, CA, USAKenneth Sauer, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAArnold Schecter, M.D., M.P.H., Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, TX, USAMartin Scheringer, D.Sc., Senior Scientist, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland, and Board Member, International Panel on Chemical Pollution, Zürich, SwitzerlandTed Schettler, M.D., M.P.H., Science Director, Science and Environmental Health Network, Ames, IA, USAKarl-Werner Schramm, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, GermanyMegan Schwarzman, M.D., M.P.H., Research Scientist, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA, and Associate Physician, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USASusan D. Shaw, Dr.PH., Director, Marine Environmental Research Institute, Blue Hill, ME, USAHeather Stapleton, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USAKristina Sundqvist, Ph.D., Project Assistant, Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenPatrice Sutton, M.P.H., Research Scientist, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USAShanna Swan, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair for Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director, Center for Reproductive Epidemiology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY, USATakumi Takasuga, Ph.D., Director, Shimadzu Techno-Research Inc., Kyoto, JapanChris Talsness, D.V.M., Working Group Leader in Reproductive Toxicology, Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyCathrine Thomsen, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, NorwayGregg Tomy, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor, Fisheries and Oceans, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaJoao Paulo Machado Torres, Sc.D., Associate Professor, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilJames Trosko, Ph.D., Professor, Pediatrics and Human Development, Center for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USAMary Turyk, Ph.D., M.P.H., Research Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USAGunther Umlauf, Ph.D., European Commission Joint Research Center, Ispra, ItalyBryan Vining, Ph.D., Analytical Perspectives, Wilmington, NC, USAQiuquan Wang, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, Xiamen University, Xiamen, ChinaYawei Wang, Ph.D., Research Center for Eco Environmental Science, Beijing, ChinaJulie Shu-Li Wang, Ph.D., Investigator, National Health Research Institute, Taipei, TaiwanRosemary Waring, Ph.D., Honorary Reader, Human Toxicology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United KingdomThomas F. Webster, D.Sc., Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USACharles Weschler, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, and Continuing Visiting Professor, International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, DenmarkStevie Wilding, Chemist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3, Philadelphia, PA, USADuane Wilding, M.E., Senior Engineer, Maryland Environmental Service, Millersville, MD, USAGayle Windham, Ph.D., Researcher, Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers, Research Triangle Park, NC, USATracey Woodruff, Ph.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor and Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USAJae-Ho Yang, M.D., M.P.H., Professor, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan, KoreaTom Young, M.P.P., Ph.D., Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USABin Zhao, Doctoral Student, Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USAR. Thomas Zoeller, M.A., Ph.D., Professor, Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA, USAAmi Zota, Sc.D., Postdoctoral Scholar, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA, USASupplemental Material(212 KB) PDF Abbreviations and an Annotated Statement(212 KB) PDF Click here for additional data file.The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited by Zhang Y, Jing M, Zhang M, Hou S and Zhang B (2022) Preparation and Properties of Silica Gel Foam as Fire-Retardant with High Water Retention for Wood, Fire Technology, 10.1007/s10694-022-01334-y Hoyeck M, Matteo G, MacFarlane E, Perera I and Bruin J (2022) Persistent organic pollutants and β-cell toxicity: a comprehensive review, American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 10.1152/ajpendo.00358.2021, 322:5, (E383-E413), Online publication date: 1-May-2022. 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