Miriam Diamond - irspum - Université de Montréal

Miriam Diamond
Chemicals in plastics, electronics and furniture:
Substituting new problems for old ones
“New” chemicals are commonly introduced to replace hazardous chemicals but some of the replacements lead to regrettable
consequences. Chemical flame retardants are used to comply with flammability standards. Many are additives that migrate from the
polymer over time and move from indoors to outdoors and even to remote Arctic locations. Our research tells the story of
organophosphate esters (OPEs) that have replaced brominated flame retardants because of concerns over the latter’s toxicity and
persistence. Are OPEs a “better” replacement for brominated flame retardants? I present evidence to suggest that OPEs may not be a
“safer” replacement. The story includes the accumulation of OPEs by clothing with the potential for human exposure, their transfer to
surface waters via clothes laundering with the potential for aquatic organism exposure, and transport to the Arctic. The story concludes
with discussing why flame retardants are used and who is behind the flammability standards.
Conférencière invitée : Miriam Diamond – is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences with cross-appointments to the
Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, School of the Environment,
and the Physical and Environmental Sciences Program at Scarborough College. She received her B.Sc. in Biology from the
University of Toronto (1976), M.Sc. from the University of Alberta in Zoology (1980), M.Sc. Eng. from Queen’s University
(Kingston, Ontario) in Mining Engineering (1984), and her Ph.D. from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied
Chemistry from University of Toronto (1990).
Animation :
Marc-André Verner
Chercheur, IRSPUM, et professeur sous octroi, Santé environnementale et santé au travail
École de santé publique, Université de Montréal
Le mercredi 1er février 2017, de 12 h à 13 h
Pavillon 7101 Parc – Salle 3165-2
ENTRÉE LIBRE
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