EPA finds toxins throughout Northwest

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said in a report Thursday that toxins remain at levels harmful to people, fish and wildlife throughout the Northwest, despite decades-long cleanups.

The agency said Thursday that pollutants such as fire retardants, mercury and compounds related to DDT remain at unacceptable levels in the air, water and soil of the Columbia Basin, which includes most of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, plus small parts of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Canada.

Although bald eagles and ospreys have rebounded from the effects of DDT over the past 20 years, mercury and flame retardants are increasing in fish and wildlife, said Elin Miller, the EPA’s administrator for the Northwest region.

The agency’s report is the first of its kind in the nation, and was compiled from data over two years in conjunction with state and federal agencies, Indian tribes and environmental groups.

One fire retardant in particular is showing up in increasing amounts in fish, the report said.

PBDE — polybrominated diphenyl ether — is found in laptop computers, clothing and furniture, as a result of recommendations by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. A study has found brain damage in mice exposed to PBDEs before they were born.