Maine could ban deca-BDE

24 April 2007 00:33  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Maine could become the second state in the US this year to pass legislation partially banning deca-brominated diphenyl ether (BDE), a type of fire retardant, advocates and opponents of the proposal said on Monday.

Maine would join Washington, which passed a bill earlier this month that partially bans the chemical.

Maine's Natural Resource Committee on Tuesday will hold a work session that could bring the bill to a vote in the state House.

The bill could go before the governor for signing by June, 20, the end of this year's legislative session.

If approved, the law will ban deca-BDE in mattresses and furniture, effective 2008. In 2010, the ban will extend to televisions and computers.

The bill excludes transportation equipment, products used in industrial and manufacturing processes and wiring and cable used for power transmission.

State Representative Hannah Pingree said on Monday that she sponsored the bill because a ban was recommended by Maine's Department of Environmental Protection.

The department spent three years researching deca-BDE and its alternatives, she said.

"There is enough scientific evidence to raise [health and environmental] concerns," Pingree said.

Opposing the bill is the is the Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, a trade group that represents manufacturers of bromine and bromine products.

Supporters of the legislation are relying on misleading and inaccurate information, said John Kyte, North American programme director for the forum. He made his comments on Monday.

Plus, the alternatives to deca-BDE do not share the ether's track record or its quantity of research, he said.

"We think it's a mistake for legislators to trade the known for the unknown," he said.

The proposed deca ban is part of a larger campaign by the environmental community to change chemical regulations, Kyte said. "We happen to be the poster child."

Kyte said it was too early to determine if the Maine and Washington legislation are isolated instances or the beginning of a national trend.

By: Al Greenwood
+1 713 525 2653

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