| This fact sheet, developed by the U.S. EPA Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO), provides a brief summary of the emerging contaminants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), including physical and chemical properties; environmental and health impacts; existing federal and state guidelines; detection and treatment methods; and additional sources of information. PBB has been banned in the United States since 1973, when PBB accidentally mixed into animal feed exposed 9 million people to contaminated dairy products, eggs, and meat. In contrast, PBDEs have been in widespread use in the U.S. since the 1970s; however, there is growing concern about their persistence in the environment and their tendency to bioaccumulate in the food chain. Since PBDEs and PBBs belong to the same class of brominated hydrocarbons and their chemical structures are similar, they are both discussed in this fact sheet. This fact sheet provides basic information on PBDEs and PBBs to site managers and other field personnel who may encounter these contaminants at cleanup sites. |