Brominated flame retardant chemicals reduction

Three basic principles have emerged as common themes in these policies the Polluter Pays Principle clarifies who bears the costs for chemical contamination the Substitution Principle encourages the adoption of the safest chemicals and the Precautionary Principle promotes preventive action even in the face of the uncertainties of risks (see Section 3.3.2 for a more in depth discussion of the Precautionary Principle). Specifically, the new national chemicals policies of Northern European countries have relied on rapid screening tests for determining regulatory actions on chemicals, focused on products and product lifecycles for risk reduction, established lists of undesirable substances, and, in limited cases, employed government authority to phase out the use of the most hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame retardants and chlorinated paraffins (for a more extensive review, see Tickner and Geiser, 2003, www.chemicalspolicy.org). 

One important reason why these additives may have a negative impact on flame retardant properties is that their chemical structure inhibits the formation of halogen radicals, when a bromine or chlorine containing FR is employed. If these radicals are trapped before they are able to curtail the material degradation process, there is a dramatic reduction in the efficacy of the flame retardancy. It is always advisable to carry out tests when generating new formulations. 

---