A TENDR Approach to Reducing Kids’ Exposure to Toxic Flame...

A TENDR Approach to Reducing Kids’ Exposure to Toxic Flame Retardants



(DGIwire) – Every day, people are exposed to a variety of chemicals found in common household items. According to The New York Times, a growing body of research suggests many of these chemicals—including those used to make upholstery and other items less flammable—may pose a threat to the developing brain. Now a unique coalition of top doctors, scientists and health advocates is calling for more aggressive regulation. In July 2016, the coalition published a statement in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives outlining its views.
Titled “Project TENDR: Targeting Environmental Neuro-Developmental Risks,” the initiative has a clear goal: protecting expectant mothers, infants and children from neurotoxic chemicals by stepping up efforts to curb them. The goal is to reduce the incidence of autism, ADHD and other disabilities that the toxins might be at least partly responsible for. The call to action came just one week after the U.S signed into law an overhaul of the nation’s toxic chemical rules.
In addition to organophosphate pesticides, lead, phthalates and combustion-related air pollutants, Project TENDR is focusing on the flame retardants (FR) used in fabric and upholstery padding, plastic casings for televisions and computers, and baby products, reports the Times. A major source of exposure is household dust, which can accumulate with residue from treated products. According to Environmental Health Perspectives, when the U.S government reached a voluntary agreement with FR manufacturers to stop making one type of harmful FRs called PBDEs, many substituted other chemicals whose health and environmental effects have never been completely assessed.
“There is growing belief in a link between toxic environmental chemicals, such as those contained in older FRs, and a range of neurodevelopmental disorders,” says Nick Clark, CEO of Alexium International, a specialty chemicals company. “Increasingly, manufacturers are choosing to act on their concern for their customers’ health and doing the right thing by looking for FR chemicals that pose less risk.”
Alexium specializes in developing unique, environmentally friendly FR chemistries for products in a variety of industries as well as for military applications. The company current sells various types of chemistries that can be customized including Alexiflam-NF for cotton-rich and wool-rich blends, and Alexicool, a cost-effective chemical finish for fabrics that provides a cool-to-the-touch feel to fabrics that absorb heat.
Unlike many existing FR treatments, Alexium has “next-generation” formulations that employ products that have shown to pose minimal risk to the body or to the environment. Some of these formulations have been specifically designed to avoid the risks associated with hazardous flame retardants such as Decabrom. Finally, Alexium’s formulations may offer a performance advantage since they preserve the original characteristics of the product being treated—and it can be laundered as many as 50 to 100 times without losing its FR protection.
“We owe it to the next generation to ensure that they are not exposed to the harmful effects of outdated, hazardous FRs,” Clark adds.