Fire retardant shows up in killer whales

PCBs are a known threat to the 85 killer whales that live in the waters between Vancouver and Seattle. Ross says this new chemical could push them closer to extinction.

"We've now discovered they have detectable levels of a new generation of flame retardants PBDEs similar to PCBs, but we have not regulated them," he says.

The chemicals were found in samples of orca blubber taken between 1993 and 1996. Ross says the levels are probably much higher now.

Across the border, Washington State is fine-tuning its plan to clean up PBDEs in the environment. But Canada still has no regulations to deal with the problem.

• LINK: Health Canada background on PBDEs