OLYMPIA, Wash. - A Washington group has acquired a device that detects the presence of toxic flame retardants, and hope to use it to change state laws.

KING

Erika Schreder uses her X-ray gun to find PBDEs.

Washington State Senator Debbie Ralgala is at work, knowing she is surrounded by toxins -- in her chair, her T.V. and at her fingertips. She knows because the Washington Toxic Coalition came calling to her office packing an XRF-Analyzer.

"We like to call it our X-ray gun and that's what I'm going to show you today," said scientist Erika Schreder. She uses her X-ray gun to find PBDEs, a widely used flame retardant that is linked with possible brain and thyroid problems.

She finds them in the senator's computer, in the senator's chair and in her television.

"You do the math and you come up with about 16 percent PBDEs in this television," Schreder said.

It's bad enough to know the toxins are in the workplace, even worse when they take the gun to the living space. In this case it’s the West Seattle home of Janine Duncan-Monnin.

Schreder tests the baby's bassinette, infant car seat and the couple’s bed, finding PBDEs in every one of them.

"You do things with the best of intentions, like buying the best car seat you can for your child, you check the safety ratings and yet they have these horrible flame retardants," said Duncan-Monnin.

“Research is showing more and more that it's actually some of these household products that chemicals are leaching out of the products, getting into the dust.” Schreder said. “They're getting into our bodies that way.”

These toxic flame retardants are all around us; they're shipped in and out of ports all over the world. They have been around for decades. While the groups know they can do about all he exposure we've already suffered, they say they can stem the future flow and that is where the legislature comes in.

Sen. Debbie Regala and Representative Ross Hunter have teamed up to introduce a bill to make Washington State the first in the nation to ban PBDEs.

With Democratic majorities in both chambers this year and a strong list of co-sponsors in the Senate, they are optimistic it will pass.