About Deca-BDE Decabromodiphenyl Ether (Deca-BDE) is a highly effective brominated flame retardant which is used to prevent fires in plastics for electrical and electronic equipment as well as in textiles.
Deca-BDE is used in plastics for electrical and electronic equipment (housings of computers, TV set, etc), in the transportation sector (i.e. automotive industry) and in construction and building (i.e. wires and cables, pipes, etc). It is also used as a flame retardant in textile back coating in furniture to comply with fire safety standards in public places and buildings and to comply with more stringent fire safety requirements for the home in countries such as Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United Sates. Other relevant documents Consumer protection It is recognized that flame retardants play a critical role in making homes, hospitals, offices, cars and public transportation safer from the life-threatening consequences of fire. Flame retardants allow longer escape times for those in the presence of a fire, as well as longer response times and less advanced fires for firefighters. It is estimated escape times can be up to 15 times longer when flame retardants are present, providing increased survival chances for those in close proximity. A recent study by the University of Surrey (click here) estimates that flame retardants have been responsible for a 20 percent reduction in fire deaths in the United Kingdom in recent years. Statistics for the UK alone estimate that over 3.000 lives have been saved since 1988 as a result of the legislation mandating that upholstered furniture be made with a high level of fire resistance [DTI document] Deca-BDE is believed to be the most effective flame retardant available in a wide range of different applications. In that sense, the role it plays on fire safety is unquestionable. A recent cost-benefit study developed by the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute (SP) in cooperation with the Risk Assessment Institute at Utrecht University, with the aim to quantifying the gains from using flame retardants in TVs, has demonstrated that Deca-BDE used in televisions avoids 11 full house fires per million TV sets, so avoiding 160 deaths and 2,000 injuries per year across Europe. Overall, it is estimated that by using Deca-BDE, gains of between 520 and 1,100 million Euros (650 million to 1.3 billion USD) per year for the entire EU area could be achieved, mainly through saved health care costs and costs relating to damaged property. For more information on the fire safety benefits of flame retardants, please click here Other relevant documents Flame retardants and fire safety: Deca-BDE Scientific studies Deca-BDE is the flame retardant with the most scientific data proving its compatibility in terms of human health, low and manageable risks for the environment and its tremendous contribution to society in terms of fire safety. It has been subject to hundreds of scientific studies around the globe, mainly in the European Union, Japan and the United States to assess its potential environmental and human/consumer effects. In May 2004 the European Union Competent Authorities officially closed the scientific assessment of Deca-BDE without no restrictions due to the lack of risks identified for the use of this substance (see more details below). These results have been also confirmed by an initial risk assessment conducted by the Japanese government in 2005 which concluded that no adverse health effects were identified for Deca-BDE. In the United States, Deca-BDE has been also subject to extensive research, in particular by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and in the framework of the Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation Program (VCCEP), which has reached similar conclusions. The EU Risk Assessment of Deca-BDE Although not being classified in the EU as a dangerous substance, in 1994 the European Commission Regulation 1179/94 listed Deca-BDE in the Priority List 1 and designated the UK government as the Member State rapporteur for the environmental assessment and the French government for the human health aspect. With the introduction of VECAP for Deca-BDE, not only has this substance no significant risk identified but it is now far better controlled through the manufacturing supply chain than any alternatives. The EU risk assessment of Deca-BDE, which has been regularly updated since 2004 to take into account new science, has looked into over 1000 studies performed on Deca-BDE. On December 2007 the EU Member State Competent Authorities met to discuss the latest science available on Deca-BDE and the progress achieved by VECAP. The Committee confirmed the updated Risk Assessment report conclusions. They also agreed that the ongoing scientific and voluntary emission reduction programmes are progressing and committed to reviewing these programmes regularly under REACH. A consolidated risk assessment text is expected to be published shortly by the European Chemicals Bureau.
Regulatory update The European Union RoHS Directive The EU Directive to restrict hazardous substances from E&E, bans the use of PBBs, Penta-BDE, and Octa-BDE, among other substances, in the production of new E&E equipment since 1st July 2006. The polymeric applications of commercial Deca-BDE were exempted from the RoHS Directive on 15 October 2005. This Decision was taken by the European Commission on the basis of the conclusions of the European Union 10-year environmental and human health risk assessment, and of the voluntary emissions reduction programme established by Deca-BDE manufacturing and user industries - VECAP (Click here for the official Decision). In January 2006 the European Parliament and Denmark both launched legal procedures against the European Commission regarding the exemption of Deca-BDE from the RoHS Directive. In advance of any European Court of Justice ruling, the European Commission Decision to exempt Deca-BDE form the RoHS Directive remains entirely valid and must be implemented since 15 October 2005. Nordic countries Despite the European risk assessment outcome on Deca-BDE which identified no risk to human health and the environment, some Nordic governments continue to seek to ban Deca-BDE and other brominated flame retardants reviewed at EU level. BSEF is contributing actively in addressing remaining concerns and working with Nordic stakeholders. At the same time, BSEF is confident the integrity of the European Single Market will hold and EU science-based policy will be successfully implemented. United States In the United States several States have proposed bills addressing PBDEs. Washington and Maine have enacted partial restrictions on the use of Deca. There are no other restrictions on the use of Deca-BDE in the U.S. For detailed information, please visit the United States regulatory updates in http://www.bsef.com/regulation/index.php The use of Deca-BDE is not restricted under these various eco-labels:
The question of alternatives Deca-BDE is the most studied flame retardant on the market, having been the subject of an extensive 10-year evaluation by the European Union, as well as other major studies performed by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US National Academy of Sciences, and has been found to present no significant risks to humans or the environment. In its areas of application, Deca-BDE is the most effective flame retardant available. Although alternative substances to Deca-BDE exist, there are no alternatives that combine Deca-BDE’s technical efficiency with such rigorous evaluation of potential environmental and human health impacts. Requiring the replacement of Deca-BDE, a product with no identified risks to human health or the environment, with other flame retardants whose potential impacts on human health and the environment are far less understood is not sound public policy. Please click here to read the factsheet “Deca-BDE and alternative flame retardants” Waste and recycling The full cycle of the Deca-BDE product has been evaluated, from initial production through recycling at the end of consumer product life. A number of studies have demonstrated the compatibility of the use of Deca-BDE for recovery and recycling solutions:
The EU Risk Assessment on Deca-BDE includes a whole section on end-of-life and on dioxins and furans which looks into the various disposal and recovery options including recycling, recovery and landfill. In none of the sections mentioned above significant risks were identified. On landfill, the risk assessment report indicates that “several experiments have shown that leaching of decabromodiphenyl ether from polymers is minimal and it would not be expected to leach to a significant extent from polymers in landfill (…). Any released decabromodiphenyl ether is likely to adsorb strongly onto soil, thus minimising the possibility of reaching groundwater. Similarly, the low vapour pressure of the substance would limit its volatility to the atmosphere.” On incineration, the risk assessment report indicates“ (…) It is expected that emissions from controlled incineration processes will be near zero (…)”.
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