PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon is joining other states in banning a flame retardant used on things you probably have in your house right now.

The Oregon Legislature passed a bill on Thursday and the governor is expected to sign it.

The fire retardant in question, decabrominated diphenyl ether (Deca-BDE), is found in some mattresses, furniture and electronics.  It doesn't prevent a fire but it does slow a fire's growth, allowing firefighters more time to save lives.

But Oregon firefighting organizations are in favor of banning the fire retardant because there are questions about what it does to the environment. As Deca-BDE degrades, it breaks down to a more toxic form that presents a possible risk to wildlife, waterways and potentially humans (via the food chain).

"I think the firefighting community recognizes that there are safe, readily available alternatives to Deca-BDE, which is the chemical we're phasing out, and that there are too many questions about the persistence of Deca-BDE in the environment," said Travis Williams with Willamette Riverkeepers.

Deca-BDE is already banned in Washington, Maine and Vermont and at least nine other states are considering the same thing.

So how prevalent is Deca-BDE?  Well, it's difficult to say but we did contact three associations - one that represents manufacturers and two that represent furniture makers - and they said they do not use it.  The fire retardant seems to be more prevalent in hard plastics and electronics.

And what about the products that are already in our homes?

"I don't think it really presents much of an individual risk to people," said Frank Berman, a Toxicologist at Oregon Health Sciences University.

The bill calls for a phase out of the chemical by January 2011.

Note: You may have received a flyer in the mail from the Citizens for Fire Safety Institute, which opposes the ban.  They have not returned our calls but as far as we can tell, this may actually be a lobbying group paid for by chemical companies.