Flame retardants morph into dioxins. (Photochemistry).Polybrominated diphenyl ethers Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE, are a flame retardant sub-family of the brominated flame retardant group. They have been used in a wide array of household products, including fabrics, furniture, and electronics. (PBDEs) make up a family of common flame retardants for plastics, foams, and fabrics. Nearly ubiquitous in air and water, these pollutants pollutants see environmental pollution. have gained notoriety for accumulating not only in wildlife but also in human blood and breast milk (SN: 10/13/01, p. 238). Now, German chemists report evidence that sunlight can degrade TO DEGRADE, DEGRADING. To, sink or lower a person in the estimation of the public. 2. As a man's character is of great importance to him, and it is his interest to retain the good opinion of all mankind, when he is a witness, he cannot be compelled to disclose these chemicals. The bad news: Their breakdown products include brominated analogs of chemicals that belong to the infamous dioxin dioxin Aromatic compound, any of a group of contaminants produced in making herbicides (e.g., Agent Orange), disinfectants, and other agents. Their basic chemical structure consists of two benzene rings connected by a pair of oxygen atoms; when substituents on the rings are family. Wolf-Ulrich Palm of Luneburg University and his colleagues set out to study dissolved PBDEs. Because these compounds are only slightly soluble in water, the scientists used an organic solvent and irradiated the solution with ultraviolet wavelengths found in sunlight. In a surprisingly strong effect, about half the light's energy went into driving the PBDEs' breakdown. Palm's group tested types of PBDEs common in either Europe or the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Among the breakdown products, "we have definitely found tetrabrominated dibenzofurans; which are dioxinlike molecules, Palm told Science News. Conventional dioxins and furans, toxic compounds that are usually the product of incomplete combustion, have chlorine atoms at up to eight sites per molecule. The most toxic are those with four chlorines. The big question, Palm concedes, is whether their brominated counterparts are comparably toxic.--J.R. |
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