Since the 1970s, flame retardant chemicals have found their way into everything. From furniture and household appliances to toys and baby products. They work by starving a fire of oxygen for a short time, allowing more time to fight a fire before it gets out of control. But they only slow down fires by a few seconds and they have serious impacts on our health.
They are classified as hormone disruptors and suspected carcinogens. Firefighters are particularly exposed. Cases of cancer are multiplying. Some don’t survive and die in silence.
With the help of American and European scientists, we spent a year investigating the dangers posed by these chemicals. We took dozens of samples across France to measure firefighters’ contamination with flame retardants.
But this investigation goes beyond the case of firefighters alone. We discover how these toxic flame retardants are leaching into the environment and our drinking water.
This new season of ‘Green Warriors’ investigates major global environmental scandals and confronts the industrial and political leaders implicated. Their investigations make headlines around the world.