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The recent article in the Bangor Daily News on the flame retardants being used in California had good news for California residents, as those retardants do not contain the potentially cancer-causing PFAS that are plaguing Mainers. The only possible concerns for those residents are chromium salts that are present in the mined phosphate deposits that make up the essential ingredient in the fire retardant.
Chromium is not necessarily a problem. Chromium is actually an essential dietary element known as chromium III. It is only when chromium is present as chromium VI that it is a dangerous carcinogen. That was the chemical at the heart of the movie “Erin Brokovitch” in 2000 where it caused a cancer outbreak in Hinkley, California. It is unlikely that any chromium VI exists in phosphate deposits. While the phosphates may wash into the ocean and cause algae blooms, those problems pale in comparison to the threat that PFAS pose to Mainers.
It is heartening to know that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency are addressing this serious health threat in Maine.
Tom Mikulka, Ph.D.
Cape Elizabeth