Flame retardants are in many products in your home. They are also known as PBDEs or polymobrimated diphenyl ethers. They are known carcinogens. There were only 2,620 deaths in America in 2006 as a result of home fires. There are 300 million citizens in America. The Government agencies and the companies who make these chemicals will have you believe that 300 million persons should touch and ingest vapors from PBDEs daily, nightly on the infinitessimal chance that they may slow but not prevent a fire. The quantities of these accumulate in your body far beyond the permitted PPB (parts per billion) and their synergies with other chemicals dancing around your home are completely unknown, untested.

PBDEs are in your mattresses, furniture, curtains. They also saturate aircrafts. In fact, you sleep on them every night.

A lovely woman from New York was just expressing her concern about her 5 month old child. She asked me what she could do to help lower her child’s toxicity. I did not hesitate to warn her that flame retardants are in her child’s mattress and to seek an organic cover (not a “wrinkle-free” one–a euphemism for formaldehyde). I also let her know about the bisphenol A in all plastic baby bottles which leech into the breast milk she expresses and pours into these bottles. We even touched on the rocket fuel that is in most breast milk. There was a distinct quiet on the phone. I’ve heard this pause before. I felt bad I to break the news to her; but I felt good I could assist. I am just a filmmaker.

I wear my petty-scientist role reluctantly. Sometimes the messenger gets “shot”. It is now my lot in life. In this case, the woman accepted my information well, trusting it was well-founded and sincere. This fuels me to forge ahead daily.