Washington state passes PBDE ban
Washington state legislators approved a bill that bans a widely used brominated fire retardant, making it the first state to prohibit the use of Deca PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether) in household goods.
By 2008, the suspected neurotoxin will be barred from mattresses, and by 2011, from TVs, computers, residential upholstered furniture, and other products as long as alternatives can be found. The measure prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution of these items. Other PBDEs, Octa and Penta, have already been phased out voluntarily.
Washington's governor, Christine Gregoire (D), signed the bill after the state senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation—endorsed by the state associations of fire chiefs and firefighters—in early April.
