Suing for Stronger Health Protections from the Toxic Flame Retardant Chemical DecaBDE

Earthjustice is representing a coalition in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The suit seeks to close regulatory loopholes regarding DecaBDE, a highly toxic flame retardant used in consumer products and recycled plastics that is linked to cancer, neurological harm, and environmental contamination.

• DecaBDE is a highly toxic flame retardant used in electronics, car parts, curtains, and upholstered furniture. It is also found in recycled plastics used for kitchen utensils, travel mugs, and toys for children and infants. The chemical is linked to liver damage, neurological harm, developmental harm, cancer, and immune system damage, and it is toxic to fish and contaminates water and soil via landfilled waste.
• A coalition represented by Earthjustice is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The lawsuit alleges the EPA violated federal law by failing to take all practicable measures to limit exposure to dangerous chemicals. The plaintiffs seek to invalidate regulatory loopholes that they argue expose workers, infants, children, and Indigenous cultural and subsistence practitioners to DecaBDE.

APA

Earthjustice (2021). Suing for Stronger Health Protections from the Toxic Flame Retardant Chemical DecaBDE. https://earthjustice.org/case/suing-for-stronger-health-protections-from-toxic-flame-retardant-chemical

Chicago

Earthjustice. Suing for Stronger Health Protections from the Toxic Flame Retardant Chemical DecaBDE. 2021. https://earthjustice.org/case/suing-for-stronger-health-protections-from-toxic-flame-retardant-chemical.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Suing for Stronger Health Protections from the Toxic Flame Retardant Chemical DecaBDE |date=15 April 2021 |url=https://earthjustice.org/case/suing-for-stronger-health-protections-from-toxic-flame-retardant-chemical |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2021suing, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Suing for Stronger Health Protections from the Toxic Flame Retardant Chemical DecaBDE}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://earthjustice.org/case/suing-for-stronger-health-protections-from-toxic-flame-retardant-chemical}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }