25 Types of Chem Flame Retardant In US Breast Milk- Plastic, TV, Appliances, Electronics: Neurotoxin

- 'Disturbing’: 25 types of toxic flame retardant found in US breast milk,' The Guardian, July 20, 2023. Ed.- Research marks first time largely unregulated subclass of flame retardants called bromophenols found in human breast milk.

New peer-reviewed research has identified 25 kinds of toxic flame retardant in human breast milk in the US, and all samples contained at least some level of the dangerous chemicals. The compounds are part of the brominated flame retardant class, which are commonly used in plastic, televisions, appliances & electronics. The research also marks the first time a largely unregulated subclass of the flame retardants, called bromophenols, have been found in breast milk.

The chemicals are thought to be potent neurotoxins, especially for developing children, and the findings are “disturbing”, said Erika Schreder, a toxicologist with Toxic Free Future and a study co-author. “The production and use of these compounds continues, and they are likely to impact children’s health until governments require companies to end their use and switch to safer solutions,” the study’s authors wrote.

The researchers, also from Emory University, the University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s Research Institute, checked milk samples from 50 mothers across the US. Brominated flame retardants are a class of at least 75 chemicals used to prevent combustion in consumer products and electronics. Some older versions of the chemicals were removed from the marketplace in the 1970s because they were so toxic, and newer iterations have raised health concerns.

Among other issues, many of the compounds are linked to memory impairment, increased impulsivity, impaired motor skills, decreased attention and overall lower measures of intelligence in children. Some of the chemicals may also be carcinogenic. Humans are exposed to brominated flame retardants when the chemicals break off from the plastics, get in dust, and are either breathed in or ingested...

- More, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/20/toxic-flame-retardants-human-breast-milk
-------------
- NEUROTOXIN, Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insults that can adversely affect function in both developing & mature nervous tissue. The term can also be used to classify endogenous compounds, which, when abnormally contacted, can prove neurologically toxic. Though neurotoxins are often neurologically destructive, their ability to specifically target neural components is important in the study of nervous systems.

Common examples of neurotoxins include lead, ethanol (drinking alcohol), glutamate, nitric oxide, botulinum toxin (e.g. Botox), tetanus toxin, & tetrodotoxin..-- Macroscopic manifestations of neurotoxin exposure can include widespread central nervous system damage such as:

intellectual disability, persistent memory impairments, epilepsy, and dementia. Additionally, neurotoxin-mediated peripheral nervous system damage such as neuropathy or myopathy is common. Support has been shown for a number of treatments aimed at attenuating neurotoxin-mediated injury, such as antioxidant and antitoxin administration.....https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotoxin