Brominated Flame Retardants

Posted on 6/23/2009 at 7:18 PM - Post Comment

Keeping things from catching fire and burning up is a good idea, especially when those things are parts of our buildings or the furnishings we put in our buildings. Flame retardants—chemicals added to products either during Panerai manufacture or afterwards—are one of the ways we make products more resistant to igniting or burning (see EBN June 2004). The problem is that some flame retardants, particularly brominated compounds, aren’t good for us or for the environment. Back in the early 1970s in Michigan, a polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) flame retardant was accidentally mixed with livestock feed and hundreds of thousands of cows and other livestock had to be destroyed, leading to the Rado banning of PBBs. So manufacturers switched to a chemically very similar class of compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), that weren’t known to be toxic. It surprises a lot of people to learn that, except for pharmaceuticals and pesticides, chemicals in the U.S. do not have to be tested for health and environmental safety before they are introduced—and manufacturers aren’t even required to divulge what’s in products when the quantities are small. Since the 1970s, huge quantities of PBDEs and other brominated flame retardants have been used in everything from computer cases to foam insulation and upholstery stuffing. Here’s a quick summary of Raymond Weil brominated flame retardants in use today: • decaBDE (83% bromine)—Often referred to as “deca” and commonly used for hard plastics and fabric backing, especially since octaBDE was phased out of production. There is considerable evidence of bioaccumulation as well as breakdown into more dangerous forms of BDE; potential impacts on Tissot watches behavior, learning, and memory, and some evidence of liver cancer. • TBBPA (Tetrabromobisphenyl A; 50% bromine)—Widely used for epoxy resins and hard plastics. Little is known about health and environmental effects, but the compound is widely found in the environment. • HBCD (Hexabromocyclododecane; 75% bromine)—Used in nearly all polystyrene foam insulation as well as in upholstery fabric backing and in some hard plastics. It is widely found in household dust and has been Vacheron Constantin shown to bioaccumulate; there is evidence of effects on behavior, learning, and memory after neonatal exposure. • DBDPE (Decabromodiphenyl ethane, 82% bromine)—Made in China and used in hard plastics, cables, textiles, and certain foams. Little is known about environmental and health problems. Alternatives to brominated flame retardants include certain compounds containing chlorine (chemically, a halogen that is similar to bromine), phosphate, phosphorus, ammonium, aluminum trihydroxide, borax Zenith (sodium borate), antimony, and melamine cyanurate. Of these, chlorinated flame retardants, such as TDCP (chlorinated Tris), are persistent in the environment but may be less likely to bioaccumulate than brominated compounds. Some chemists believe that chlorinated flame retardants may be just as toxic as their brominated cousins. The other (non-halogenated) flame retardants are generally considered much safer.

Zenith Piaget Louis Vuitton Mont Blanc replica watches