Chemical of the Month

Bisphenol A, or BPA

A chemical used to make hard plastics and can linings found in everyday items like water bottles, baby bottles, and canned foods.

A program of RISE St. James Louisiana and The Community Scientist (TCS) Research Team, led by Caitlion O. Hunter, Esq., Research & Policy Director at RISE St. James; Founder & CEO Sharon C. Lavigne; Chief Operating Officer Shamell Lavigne; Executive Marketing and Environmental Communications Consultant Gary C. Watson, Jr.; and anthropologist Tim Schütz, PhD (University of California, Irvine), and supported by dedicated community members, volunteers, and scientists.

At the Community Scientists, we rely on sound research to bring you the information about chemicals and pollution. We use peer-reviewed studies and information from government sources like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institutes of Health to give you the facts you need to understand pollution in your home and community. However, not all science is reputable. For example, Philip Morris created and funded a group called “Foundation for a Smoke-Free World”, now known as “Global Action to End Smoking”, to fund studies in support of nicotine vapes. The American Chemistry Council, funded by petrochemical companies, has a factsheet on ethylene oxide that fails to mention the risks of leukemia and breast cancer caused by ethylene oxide exposure. The American Council on Science and Health, although it presents itself as a nonprofit acting “to inform the public and policymakers of good science”, is largely funded by large corporations such as Coca-Cola, Monsanto, McDonalds, Chevron, and Big Tobacco. It has put out statements in support of fracking, pesticide use, ultraprocessed foods, and the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA. It should be no surprise that another corporate sponsor is Dow, once one of the world’s largest producers of BPA.

Although major consumer campaigns around eliminating BPA in plastics began nearly 15 years ago, bisphenols are still widely used today. Most people are exposed to BPA from food and beverage containers, or by microwaving food in plastic containers made with BPA. Bisphenols are derived from fossil fuel, and are used in the production of polycarbonate plastic, the hard, clear plastic used for some shatterproof drinking cups, coffee machines, and eyeglass lenses. BPA is also used to make epoxy resins like can linings. Many canned beverages like soda and beer are packaged in cans lined with BPA or other bisphenols. Bisphenol A is just one of a class of at least 50 other bisphenols that are used to make rigid, strong, translucent plastic. Although BPA is the best studied bisphenol, the current trend of advertising “BPA Free” is pushing manufacturers to use lesser-studied bisphenols with unknown health effects in their products. For example, receipt paper was made with extremely high amounts of BPA for decades, but instead of removing bisphenols from the paper entirely, the paper is now often made with the similar bisphenol S (BPS).

BPA interacts with estrogen receptors in the body, and can also affect the thyroid. Children who are exposed to BPA during early life can develop behavior issues. Exposure to BPA while pregnant can lead to an increased risk of asthma for the child. A large study of Americans in 2008 found that more than 90% of participants had detectable levels of BPA in their urine, with the highest levels seen in children. Although BPA is eliminated from the body quickly, the hormonal changes it causes can last a lifetime. EPA data from 2003-2016 shows that levels of BPA in the urine of American children and adults have dramatically decreased over this time period, meaning that people are being exposed to less BPA. However, recent studies suggest that levels of BPS and other bisphenols are increasing, and that these “safer” bisphenols may actually be more dangerous to human health than BPA.

Beginning in the 1960s, BPA was used in the first plastic baby bottles (seen as a safer alternative to glass), the linings of formula cans, and other products intended for children’s use. By the late 1990s, research was showing that BPA negatively impacted multiple organs and development of puberty. In response, manufacturers of BPA paid scientists to conduct unscrupulous studies, pumped money into PR campaigns that cited these bad studies, and tried to find a pregnant woman to act as a spokesperson about the safety of BPA. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first released guidance about potential concerns with BPA in such products, and an FDA ban on BPA in bottles, formula cans, and sippy cups went into effect in 2012. Today, the FDA still allows BPA in all other food and drink packaging, but it is banned in several states and the EU.

Rather than take steps to protect public health in the face of evidence of BPA’s dangerous effects on the human body, companies that made and used BPA funded bad studies and hired good PR. This is why independent science on petrochemicals and pollution, conducted without funding or interference by the polluting industry, is so critical. The Community Scientists and RISE St. James Louisiana want to call attention to the efforts by Tulane University to silence the research of Community Scientists member Dr. Kim Terrell, who has investigated the link between pollution and low birth rates in Cancer Alley, among other critical research. Dr. Terrell’s research challenges the polluting industry-sponsored narrative that petrochemical facilities are safe and provide jobs, and shines a light into a dark truth: that pollution from the petrochemical industry harms human health.

Brominated Flame Retardants

Compounds that reduce the flammability of products

A program of RISE St. James Louisiana and The Community Scientist (TCS) Research Team, led by Caitlion O. Hunter, Esq., Research & Policy Director at RISE St. James; Founder & CEO Sharon C. Lavigne; Chief Operating Officer Shamell Lavigne; Executive Marketing and Environmental Communications Consultant Gary C. Watson, Jr.; and anthropologist Tim Schütz, PhD (University of California, Irvine), and supported by dedicated community members, volunteers, and scientists.

Brominated Flame Retardants

Children born today may find it impossible to believe that cigarettes were once smoked on airplanes (banned in 2000), in post offices and courts (banned in 1997), and even in hospitals (banned in 1994). From a height of 42.6% of adults smoking cigarettes in 1965 to just 11.6% in 2022, a world in which smoke, flame, butts, and ash are a constant part of everyday life is unimaginable. The tobacco industry fought tooth and nail to prevent any regulation of cigarettes or smoking, but after decades of activism, health studies, lawsuits, and campaigns, nearly everyone can breathe air free from smoke.

However, the impact of indoor smoking continues today in less known ways, such as the continued use of flame retardant fabrics and materials. Cigarette design and additives in the 1970s allowed them to burn for as long as 20 minutes when set down, and up to half of all deaths by fire were caused by these smouldering cigarettes catching fire to furniture and clothing. (Cigarettes today are required to be self-extinguishing to prevent fires.) In response to burns and deaths caused by cigarettes igniting synthetic materials, new regulations were made in 1972 that required mattresses, furniture, and children’s sleepwear to burn more slowly. To reduce flammability in childrens’ pajamas, industry complied by adding brominated flame retardants (BFR) to fabrics, often in such high amounts as to make up 20% of the weight of the fabric. But just five years later, researchers found that the main BFR used in children’s pajamas, known as “TRIS”, was carcinogenic and was being absorbed through the children’s skin.

Flame retardants work either by generating non-combustible gases to eliminate oxygen and extinguish the flame, or by using chemical processes to decrease a material’s surface temperature lower than the burning point to stop fires from spreading. They can be added to plastic, foams, and other synthetic materials during the manufacturing process. Depending on the flame retardant used, they can either bind permanently with the plastic, or can be loosely mixed in as a plasticizer or filler that can later bleed or leach out. A class of chemicals called brominated flame retardants (BFR) are commonly added to plastics that are used to make foam, electronics, coatings for wires and cables, fabrics, and carpets. Health effects vary among this wide class of chemicals, but include endocrine (hormone) disruption, thyroid dysfunction, damage to the immune and reproductive systems, neurodevelopmental disorders, and cancer.

Flammable materials used in the home include polyurethane foam in mattresses and cushions and polyester in upholstery and clothing. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is a common type of BFR found in these materials, among others. When polyurethane foam is exposed to open flame, it quickly ignites, and releases both carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. If high concentrations of these gases are inhaled, they can cause serious health problems or even death. Polyester in clothing melts under high heat and can fuse to skin, and polyester-cotton blends are very flammable. Even though carcinogenic TRIS was banned in 1977, it and other BFRs do not break down in the environment, and TRIS was present in the dust of 75% of homes in a study conducted 35 years after the ban. It was not until 1998 that the regulations were amended to allow kids’ pajamas to be sold without flame retardants. People continuing to use old furniture and clothing treated with BFRs are also still being exposed to these chemicals.

The Fire Safety Research Institute conducts regular comparison studies of the time it takes for a small fire to reach a “flashover” point, or where high temperatures cause fire to spread rapidly, in two similar rooms. The first is furnished with natural materials like cotton padded sofa, solid wood tables, and hardwood flooring, the other with synthetic materials like polyester covered polyurethane filled sofa, engineered wood table, and polyolefin carpet. In a 2020 test, the naturally furnished room took more than 30 minutes to reach flashover point; for the synthetic room, it took under four minutes. Even with flame retardants in use, synthetic materials burn hotter, faster, and release more hazardous chemicals in their smoke.

We as a country took action to prevent children from being exposed to second-hand smoke —when will kids of the future look back and be unable to comprehend just how many plastics used to be in our homes, our water, our food, and even our bodies? Just like Big Tobacco, plastic manufacturers and users are fighting against regulations that would require them to take responsibility for single-use plastic trash, pay to clean up contaminated water, and remove harmful plastic additives. It took only five years for researchers to realize that the “miracle” BFR used in kids’ pajamas was carcinogenic, but another twenty years for this class of chemicals to be phased out of clothing. We have enough evidence today that plastic, its additives, and its manufacture are harmful to human health—we can’t wait another twenty years.

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS:
Beginning in the 1970s, most upholstered furniture began to use BFR in foam and fabrics. It was not until 2015 that some manufacturers began to phase them out. It is probably not worth keeping an old sofa around due to the presence of BFR and other harmful materials. Check this list of furniture makers who do not use BFR in their products: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/you-can-find-hundreds-couches-without-toxic-flame-retardants
Look for kids’ pajamas with a bright yellow tag (required by law) that state that they are free from BFR. Older children’s pajamas likely contain BFR and should not be used, even if they have been washed many times.
A 2024 study found that black plastic cooking utensils were contaminated with BFR, likely from electronic waste making its way into the supply chain. Use wooden, bamboo, or stainless steel utensils to cook with instead.
Choose natural materials to furnish your home. Not only will this improve fire safety, but will prevent you from exposure to BFR and off-gassing from synthetic materials.

Introduction to Hexavalent Chromium

It’s a highly toxic form of the element chromium that causes serious harm too human health if inhaled or consumed through drinking water.

Ethylene Oxide

A flammable toxic gas used as an intermediate and fumigant.

It is colorless, odorless, and has no residue or distinct feeling when inhaled. But it is one of the single most dangerous substances produced in Louisiana today.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)

A group of chemicals with multiple carbon rings. Many are known carcinogens and harmful environmental pollutants.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a class of over 100 chemicals present naturally in fossil fuels, and are also produced when fossil fuels, wood, or tobacco are burned. PAH are also formed when grilling or smoking meats. Many PAHs are carcinogens (cancer-causing), mutagens (DNA damaging), or teratogens (cause birth defects). Although PAH are not emitted in large quantities by industrial sources in St. James Parish, LDEQ data shows about 1600 tons of PAH were emitted across Ascension, St. John, and St. Charles Parishes.