Introduction to BFRs For more than 30 years now, BFRs have been proven to be the most efficient flame retardant in use. We feel it is important for society and ourselves to get a better understanding about our products, to make sure they are safe and do not cause a risk to human health or the environment, now and in the future. Today, we live in a modern society where we are surrounded by many consumer products, made out of flammable materials such as plastics (oil-based) and synthetic materials. Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) are commonly used in many domestic and industrial appliances and equipment such as computers, TV’s, mobile phones, furniture, insulation boards, mattresses and many others, to increase their resistance to fire. There are various types of BFRs. BFRs are mainly used in textiles for upholstered furniture and in plastics for electric and electronic equipment, including internal parts and printed circuit boards. 90% of electrical and electronic appliances contain BFRs. As for furniture, the UK Furniture Fire Safety Regulations (1988) provide the UK consumer with the highest levels of fire safety protection in the world. UK government scientists have estimated that more than 3000 lives were saved in the period between 1988 – 2000 as a result of FRs and in many cases BFRs. Concerns relating to Brominated Flame Retardants are largely focused on Penta-BDE, a BFR used in the past in Europe mainly for treating furniture foam to make it fire resistant. Two commercial BFRs, Penta-BDE and Octa-BDE have been phased out in Europe and a final ban in all applications for the EU market took effect as of 2004. We recognise the need to further develop a policy on chemicals used in products at EU level. Major commercial BFRs (HBCD, TBPPA and Deca-BDE) have or are currently undergoing EU risk assessments. We fully support and co-operate with EU member states to provide the necessary research and data. The EU Risk Assessment of Deca-BDE was concluded in May 2004 and the EU Risk Assessments for HBCD and TBBPA will be concluded mid-2007. The key societal concern of today is the levels of BFRs found in the environment and in wild life. We do not believe that banning BFRs would be the solution to theseissues since industry has demonstrated that significant reductions in emissions to the environment can be achieved through industrial emissions controls. Indeed, we are working to reduce emissions to the environment and to manage waste through VECAP (http://www.vecap.info The Voluntary Emissions Control Action Program). With VECAP we are currently working with a wide range of industrial plants of BFR producing and using industries so as to ensure that emissions to air, water and land are reduced to the lowest possible level. In that framework we are looking at best available techniques to reduce emissions and enhance recovery, recycling and safe disposal of waste containing our BFRs. VECAP is being implemented since 2004 in Europe and has already showed that it can be successful in managing and reducing the industrial emissions to the environment of brominated flame retardants (for further information please see The 2007 VECAP Annual Progress Report). In parallel, we are measuring environmental concentrations of BFRs and BFR emissions from industrial sites. Banning BFRs would not be a solution as it would not allow products to be as fire resistant as required by safety standards. There are very often no alternatives for BFRs depending on the type of application (such as electrical equipment) that provide such high levels of fire safety. In addition, alternatives are generally less well tested and studied from an environmental and human health impact point of view compared to BFRs. Regarding consumer use of products containing BFRs, we have commissioned independent research which has concluded that there is no consumer risk from exposure to such products. Bromine Forum – who we are and what we do BSEF represents the leading producers of bromine and BFRs throughout the world. The industry takes responsibility for developing Environmental and Health research to shed light on the risks and benefits of bromine-based products. The manufacturing and use of brominated flame retardants has existed for more than 30 years and aims to make consumer products fire safe and to protect people’s lives. The Forum wants to ensure the fire safety benefits of brominated flame retardants continue to be appreciated without potentially harming the environment and its wildlife. We feel it is important to make sure our products are safe to use, now and in the future. This is why we are committed to improving the scientific understanding of bromine products continuously by commissioning independent research in this area and sharing the results with the public. Benefits of Our product – BFRs save lives every year Every day we live with items and products, which pose a potential fire risk in our homes, offices and public places. Today’s homes and businesses contain more furnishings made out of synthetic materials and petrochemicals than ever before, which can increase the growth of fires.
Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) are commonly used in many domestic and industrial appliances and equipment such as computers, TV’s, mobile phones, furniture, insulation boards and mattresses to increase their resistance to fire and give up to 15 times extra time to escape. BFRs are often the most effective chemical substance to prevent ignition, or a fire, from developing. Fire is a chemical reaction between oxygen and a fuel, triggered by an ignition source. Basically, BFRs inhibit this chemical reaction from taking place and in that way prevent a fire from developing. BFRs make sure that consumer products are fire resistant, thus contributing to saving lives every day.
Human Health BFRs are chemical substances, and like all chemicals, they may be hazardous. As a continuous commitment to the understanding of BFRs and their health impact, we are investing in independent toxicological research to better understand the possible effects of BFRs. However, according to the most extensive research conducted and available today on brominated flame retardants across multiple fields of expertise, commercial BFRs do not pose any significant risk to human health.
Evaluation of the environmental impact We understand the societal concern of today regarding the increasing levels of some BFRs found in the environment and even in wildlife. We strongly support solid scientific research that gives us a better understanding of the environmental impact of our products. Worldwide we invest a significant amount every year in independent research on environmental monitoring and toxicological studies and share the results with authorities and the public. The concerns raised about PBDEs being found widespread in the environment and accumulating in the food chain refer only to Penta-BDE which was shown to be bio-accumulating in animal and human bodies. Penta-BDE, a commercial BFR has been banned in Europe since 2004, together with Octa-BDE. There are understandable concerns about traces of Deca-BDE being found in birds. Birds feed sediments in rivers which are contaminated by industrial plantemissions and thus ingest some small levels of Deca-BDE. However it is shown that they get rid of the Deca-BDE and that it does not build up (bio-accumulate) in the animal. No significant health risk to animal health has been identified, but BSEF agrees that such exposure should not happen. This is why BSEF is committed to addressing this through emissions reductions. BFRs are not POPs and are not on the United Nations POPs list. None of the main commercially available BFRs in Europe fulfill the criteria for being Persistent Organic Pollutant. Only the BFRs Penta-BDE and Octa-BDE, which are banned in the EU since 2004 and which industry is not producing globally since the end of 2005, are currently considered as potential candidates to become part of the POP list. EU Risk Assessments of BFRs EU Risk Assessments are comprehensive scientific assessments of chemical substances’ environment and health impact throughout their whole life-cycle. BSEF has and is actively participating in the EU Risk Assessment process of the main commercial BFRs (Deca-BDE, TBBPA and HBCD). We commission scientists to study the environmental and health impact of BFRs and to enhance and ensure their compatibility with end-of-life options. BSEF committed to Managing Emissions We do not want BFRs to end up in the environment. That is why we, as an industry, are taking our responsibility in making sure that emissions of BFR’s are being managed and controlled. By promoting our Product Stewardship Program VECAP and recycling programs, we are actively taking part in the process of making sure that BFRs are being managed in a responsible way. Our Product Stewardship Programme aims to help our customers manage BFR emissions, ensure that emissions are treated and waste is collected to avoid even small quantities of BFRs ending up in the environment. For further information and details on VECAP, please visit http://www.vecap.info The second annual progress report on the implementation of VECAP was published in June 2007 (for further info please see The 2007 VECAP Annual Progress Report). It highlights:
We view the environmental concerns related
to BFRs as being entirely manageable, through reductions in their
emissions from industry processes, and do not foresee a need for
a phase-out of BFRs’ use which would compromise seriously
the levels of consumer fire safety standards which the public today
rightly expects.
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