Fire Retardants
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Fire Retardants

There are many different chemicals used as fire retardants - only brominated chemicals will be considered here because of concern over them as environmental pollutants. See Horrocks and Price (2001) for more info about other types
Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) are chemicals commonly used in many domestic and industrial appliances and equipment such as computers, TV's, mobile phones, furniture, insulation boards, mattresses and many more others. 90% of electrical and electronic appliances contain BFRs. BFRs are used with the purpose to increase their resistance to fire. Flame retardants give up to 15 times more escape time when there is a fire. BFRs are also used in textiles for upholstered furniture.

The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum is an Industry Website which provides detailed information - specific groups of compounds
 are linked below. For general environmental info on them see the Environmental Section of BSEF's site

There are a number of different types of Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs)

Among the many BFRs used in the world the main commercial BFRs are the following:

  • TBBPA: Tetrabromobisphenol -A
     
  • HBCD: Hexabromocyclododecane
     
  • Deca-BDE (Decabromodiphenyl ether)
     
  • Brominated polymers such as brominated epoxy, brominated polystyrene, brominated polycarbonate, poly (brominated acrylate), and brominated polyols.
     
  • Octa-BDE (Octabromodiphenyl ether) - Phased out in Europe
     
  • Penta-BDE (Pentabromodiphenyl ether) - Phased out in Europe
     
  • PBB: Polybrominated biphenyls - Phased out in Europe

Each of these groups of Brominated Flame Retardants has very different properties and should be considered separately for their environmental properties

Relevant 'Activist' Websites:

'Environmental Working Group'
http://www.ewg.org/issues/siteindex/index.php

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDEs)
http://www.ewg.org/issues/siteindex/issues.php?issueid=5008

References

Horrocks, A.R.; Price, D. (2001). Fire Retardant Materials. Woodhead Publishing.
Online version available at:
http://www.knovel.com/knovel2/Toc.jsp?BookID=808&VerticalID=0