User:Yaozhu0902/Fire retardant

Risks
Most chemical fire retardants are organic halides (haloalkanes) such as Halon and PhostrEx, which are proven to be toxic. During 1980s, the most commonly used fire retardant material was penta-bromodiphenyl ether. It was banned by the Government due to its potential health and environment concerns. It was then replaced by chlorinated tris, chloroalkyl phosphates, halogenated aryl esters, and tetrabromophthalate diol diester, which later were proven by an EPA study that they contained mutagens that could be absorbed into children’s bodies. Studies have shown that a small percentage of the population may have an allergy towards the chemical substance used as fire retardant. Studies have also shown that a drop of the retardant chemical directly into a stream may cause a sufficient ammonia concentration in the water, which is lethal to fish and other aquatic organisms. If the amount is large enough, it is likely that it will lead to lethal consequences towards humans.

Health Concerns
Long-term exposure to these chemicals are likely to develop cancer or skin disease for fire fighters, and the potential contamination towards the environment will be another safety concern. Many of these chemicals are now recognized as global contaminants and are associated with adverse health effects in animals and humans, including endocrine and thyroid disruption, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, cancer, and adverse effects on fetal and child development and neurologic function. One of the most common way to spread fire retardant is through Aerial firefighting, which means that there are chances that these toxic chemicals will contaminate the soil and water system, and then find their way into human body. This will lead to the likelihood of developing long-term health issues, such as respiratory problems or other risky health concerns.

Another notable health concern is that Fire-suppressant foams are toxic in standardized soft and hard water, and it is likely that water creatures will be infected. If they were to be consumed by humans, there is a great chance that these toxicities will be transferred into human body.