Toxie Awards Name Flame Retardant Worst Chemical of the Year

Published June 17, 2011

Her name is Halogenated Flame Retardant (HFR) and she's one hot mess.

In a red carpet ceremony in Los Angeles Thursday, the second annual Toxies awards honored this bad actor for its sheer ubiquity and dangerous impacts.

Used in furniture, electronics and building insulation, HFR can be found in nearly the entire U.S. population and is linked to lower IQs, cancer and infertility. This toxic resume earned HFR the People's Choice Award as Worst Chemical of the Year, in addition to an award in the Super Hot Mess category.

Toxies -- halogenated flame retardant If you've never heard of the Toxies, the event is sort of like a satirical cross between the Oscars and the Razzies but for chemicals, created by several Los Angeles-area nonprofits last year to raise awareness of the toxic materials that pervade our world and the need for safer alternatives.

Bisphenol A took the top award last year when the event was more California-focused, said Ana Mascareñas, policy and communications coordinator for Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), which leads the Toxies with Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy.

The awards received a ton of attention last year, leading the groups to expand the concept nationwide. This year's awards were livecast online last night, and satellite events took place far outside L.A., including Minnesota, Virginia and Australia.

Next page: The nominees for the 2011 Toxie Awards

Tilde Herrera is an editor at GreenBiz Group.

You missed the printing

Pete Berger (not verified), June 21, 2011 - 04:10

You missed the printing industry supply companies that sell benzene, butoxyethanol, bpa, petroleum distillates, cumene,xylene to name just a few. There are alternatives that reduce ink consumption up to 50% and do not contain any of the afore mentioned. When you smell a printed piece it stinks because of all the nasty chemicals. The printers using the nasty chemicals are just about the most prolific group at spreading and distributing these noxious fumes into your home and business.

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Toxie Awards Name Flame Retardant Worst Chemical of the Year

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Toxie Awards Name Flame Retardant Worst Chemical of the Year

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