TABLE OF CONTENTS In many cases some form of flame retardant is needed if polymeric materials are to be used. In modern society, flame retardants save lives by preventing fire initiation and propagation, which in a wider sense is also good for the environment. In electrical and electronic equipment, flame retardants based on bromine are dominant. Some of the brominated flame retardants, such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), have been shown to have serious long-term health and environmental effects. Others, such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), are suspected of having similar effects. Some brominated flame retardants, especially reactive types, may be more or less harmless. Thus, brominated flame retardants constitute a broad group of substances that have a wide range of properties with regard to toxicity and environmental aspects.
The acute toxicity of the majority of the brominated flame retardants is low or very low. This is also the case for many of the breakdown products. The important risks of brominated flame retardants are therefore mainly connected to long-term effects. Long-term effects are only relevant if the substance or its breakdown products may bioaccumulate. A substance that is fat soluble and stable and that has a route of exposure to a specific organism may bioaccumulate. Substances that are water soluble or unstable, or that have no route of exposure, will not bioaccumulate. Other factors, such as molecule size and metabolism, may also affect the rate of bioaccumulation.
Among the large group of brominated flame retardants, there are substances and breakdown products that have the...
