Addressing Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in the Great Lakes Basin:

One of the responsibilities of the IJC is to provide advice and recommendations to the governments on matters related to the water quality of the Great Lakes, and approaches and options that governments may consider to improve effectiveness in achieving the purpose and objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). [...] In March 2016 the WQB submitted its report to the Commission, which contained advice and recommendations on the development of strategies by the Governments of Canada and the United States, to manage PBDE-containing products in order to reduce the release of PBDEs to the Great Lakes environment. [...] Prior to the workshop, participants were asked to review the November 2016 IJC report, PBDEs in the Great Lakes Basin: Reducing Risks to Human Health and the Environment, which contains a list of high-level recommendations provided by the IJC to the Governments of Canada and the United States for consideration. [...] The Water Quality Board and the Commissioners will consider the input from the workshop participants in providing further advice to the Governments of Canada and the United States to address the environmental challenges posed by PBDE-containing products in the Great Lakes basin. [...] In terms of chemical substitution, the choice of a substitute to PBDEs depends on a number of factors such as the fulfillment of the fire safety standards, the level of hazard to human health and the environment, the physical and chemical properties of the product(s), ease of processing, costs, etc.