Growing Fruits and Veggies in the City New Air Pollution Rules Water Lessons from Israel Does Dirt Makes Us Smarter?The Pride of an Industrial Town Sunscreen Safety Questioned A Greener Way to Work?Saving Rainforests Helps U.S. Farmers D.I.Y. Cleaning Products New Smokestack Rules

Are Fire Retardants Putting Us at Risk? (Part 5)

Chlorinated tris, a chemical that has been shown to mutate DNA, is one of the chemicals being used as a flame retardant in baby product foam and furniture.(Photo courtesy of Abby Batchelder CC-2.0)

Flame retardant chemicals help keep foam and plastics from catching on fire. But certain kinds of these chemicals are building up in people. And hundreds of studies are suggesting links to problems with brain development, and thyroid and fertility problems. In the final part of our five part series... Rebecca Williams reports on the alternatives to these chemicals:

More about the study on chlorinated tris in furniture

Green Science Policy Institute

Tips on reducing your exposure to PBDEs

Producer: Rebecca Williams
Release Date: March 12, 2010
Running Time: 3:39