Computer makers may be robbing Peter to poison Paul. Recent articles published by the American Chemical Society found that decabromodiphenyl ethane (deBDethane), an additive flame retardant marketed as a replacement for decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), has been showing up worldwide in waterbirds, red pandas, and sewage sludge.Do we need to care where deBDethane shows up? Particularly in sludge? Yes, unfortunately. The reason deBDethane was selected as a replacement to decaBDE is that is has been thought to be less "bioavailable." That is, not quickly or easily absorbed into the body. But now there may be feathery and furry evidence to the contrary. And the sludge? Researchers note that "sewage sludge is an early indicator of leakage of these chemicals into the environment."

DecaBDE -- but not deBDethane -- is covered under the European Union Directive 2002/95/EC, better known as Restriction of Hazardous Substances. The directive restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products, and all applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006, must pass compliance.

The Green Electronics Council's EPEAT program and several states also prohibit the use of decaBDE.

A study published in August by Niklas Ricklund, Amelie Kierkegaard, and Michael S. McLachlan at the Department of Applied Environmental Science at Stockholm University comparing decaBDE and deBDethane notes:

"The structures of the two chemicals are similar, and hence deBDethane may also become an environmental contaminant of concern. Environmental data on deBDethane are scarce. Since sewage sludge is an early indicator of leakage of these chemicals into the environment, an international survey of deBDethane and decaBDE levels in sludge was conducted. Samples were collected from 42 WWTPs in 12 different countries and analyzed with GC/LRMS. DeBDethane was present in sludge from all countries and may therefore be a worldwide concern."

Flame retardants are found in sludge, trout, North American herring gulls. and red pandas (blog for another day, but think for a moment where pandas live, apart from city zoos). That's no reason for concern, right? Maybe, maybe not. While polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a related flame retardant, were recently found to serve as a "potent neurodevelopmental toxin" in humans, the application of animal studies to humans is still lacking, according to Alexander Suvorov and Larissa Takser, at the Département Obstétrique Gynécologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec.

That means more studies.

Until then, our computers and our animals won't burst into flames.