Do you think they really mean "per liter" of the actual sample or is this possibly the amount in an already diluted solution that they made from the sample? It seems like an odd unit of measurement otherwise.
What would have been helpful in the article was a comparison to the levels produced by the fire itself. Fires in residential areas produce all sorts of nasty stuff. While we should make the retardant as safe as we can, if it prevents something even worse from being released it still could be a win.
Not to mention, if the chemical producer doesn't want to be unfairly charged with toxic pollution that came from other sources, they could supply the damned info and proof of it's veracity, and/or samples.
This ball is entirely in their court and they deserve no benefit of the doubt on something like this.
There is clearly something there. It is 100% rational, from this starting point with the info that is available, to proceed on an assumption that the exact numbers are incorrect, and that we still would not like the correct numbers, even after weighing against not using any fire retardant, or using some other less effective or more expensive alternative.
What is there? The retardant is made from phosphate rocks. The same ones that are used for fertilizer. Lettuce that you eat has cadmium and arsenic from the phosphate (or potassium) fertilizer. It's simply unavoidable.
And of course the manufacturer is cagey. They all know about no-science-allowed wasteland of San Francisco and Los Angeles, with no-brain juries gladly awarding damages based on junk data on "chemicals".
> Do you think they really mean "per liter" of the actual sample or is this possibly the amount in an already diluted solution that they made from the sample? It seems like an odd unit of measurement otherwise.
The article doesn't specify. But it doesn't particularly matter either way.
Basically, don't drink the fire retardant, and you'll be fine. Even habitual exposure is not a big deal at these levels.
What would have been helpful in the article was a comparison to the levels produced by the fire itself. Fires in residential areas produce all sorts of nasty stuff. While we should make the retardant as safe as we can, if it prevents something even worse from being released it still could be a win.