CHINA’s birds of prey are carrying an unexpected cargo: record-breaking amounts of flame retardant, which seems to be accumulating in animals to a much greater degree than anyone thought.
PBDE or polybrominated diphenyl ether, commonly used in textiles, plastics and electronics, is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. One formulation, called Deca on account of the 10 bromine atoms it has, is the most widely used because no one thought it built up in animals.
Now researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences in Gloucester Point have found very high levels of Deca in predatory birds collected near Beijing. Kestrels had…
