How toxic is foam insulation?
Since industrialisation, chemicals have been rolled out without sufficient testing, resulting in dire consequences for humans, animals and the environment. Well-known examples include DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).
Now in the spotlight: Polymeric FR (PolyFR), a flame retardant for foam building insulation. Its production has ballooned out to 26,000 tonnes each year with little attention to its health and ecological impacts, according to a team led by Miriam Diamond from the University of Toronto, Canada.
Published by Cosmos.
