Dear Colleagues
On behalf of the organizing committees, I want to announce that the 6th International Symposium on Flame Retardants (BFR2013) will be held in San Francisco from April 7-10, 2013. Please note that the International Committee decided to change the name of the meeting to "International Symposium on Flame Retardants" to encompass more than the brominated classes. This reflects the broadening of the range of chemicals used as flame retardants as the use of PBDEs gets restricted and replacement chemicals are introduced. These novel flame retardants can be structurally and functionally very dissimilar, requiring new and diverse measurement methodologies and exhibiting different toxicities. An effort currently underway by the International Committee to prepare a short paper on preferred acronyms for novel flame retardants will help all of us enormously.
After a series of successful International BFR meetings in Europe, Canada and Japan, it is time to host BFR2013 in California, USA. The Golden State was the place where record levels of PBDEs were first reported in humans and wildlife at the turn of the century. Most probably due to California's uniquely stringent flammability standards, PBDEs have become ubiquitous in spite of efforts to limit their use in home furnishings and consumer products. PBDEs and their metabolites have been linked to reduced fertility, reproductive and thyroid effects and reduced IQ in children. Research is under way to gauge the efficacy of the recent restrictions on PBDE use on their presence in humans, wildlife and their microenvironments. At the same time, concerns about replacement flame retardants have prompted both scientists and regulators to seek more information on these new and diverse classes of chemicals. We hope that many of you will be reporting breakthroughs on these issues at BFR2013.
We have selected the venue to be the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Union Square. This is a historic San Francisco hotel, in a very central location with easy access via public transportation. The entire hotel will be at our disposal; no other groups or meetings will be scheduled during our conference. Based on our agreement with the hotel, most costs will be covered by room occupancy and meals. It is, therefore, essential to encourage participants to book rooms at the hotel. This should not be a problem, however, since we agreed on some very attractive room rates. The same rates may be offered for some days prior and after the meeting to those who may want to extend their stay in San Francisco.
San Francisco is one of the most interesting cities in the USA with vibrant and diverse communities, enchanting landscapes and architectural treasures. It is also the gateway to other California landmarks such as the Monterrey Peninsula, Napa and Sonoma Valleys, the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park.
Looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco,
Myrto Petreas, Ph.D., MPH
