"A study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives revealed that people who frequently eat poultry and beef have higher levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a common flame retardant,in their blood. These known endocrine disrupters, which accumulate in the liver, kidneys, and thyroid gland, have been linked to impaired memory, abnormalities of coordination, hyperactivity, and reproductive and nervous system impairments.
In a study of thirty-two food samples sold in major supermarkets in Dallas, researchers reported PBDE contamination in all food containing animal fats. According to Arnold Schecter, an environmental sciences professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and co-author of the study, "That's because PBDEs are easily absorved by fatty tissues. Nonfat milk, on the other hand, had no detectable PBDE levels."
Americans and Canadians have 10-20 times higher levels of PBDEs than people in Europe, where PBDEs have been banned since 2004, and Japan, where their use and production have been volutnarily restricted. The highest levels have been detected in U.S. children between the ages of two and five. Studeis show that vegetarians have PBDE concentrations that are 23 to 27 percent lower than omnivores."
Yet another reason to go vegetarian! And by eating organic meat and drinking organic milk, you can avoid ingesting a lot of this.
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