ScientistsStatement:FlameRetardants

Scientists’ Statement on Brominated and Chlorinated Flame Retardants

17 September 2010

We, scientists from a variety of disciplines, declare the following:

1. Parties to the Stockholm Convention have taken action on three brominated flame retardants which have been listed in the treaty for global elimination. These substances include components of commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether and commercial octabromodiphenyl ether along with hexabromobiphenyl. Another brominated flame retardant, hexabromocyclododecane, is under evaluation;

2. Many commonly-used brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can undergo long-range environmental transport;

3. Many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants appear to be persistent and bioaccumulative, resulting in food web contamination including human milk;

4. Many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants lack adequate toxicity information but the available data raises concerns;

5. Many different types of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants have been incorporated into products even though comprehensive toxicological information is lacking;

6. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants present in a variety of products are released to the indoor and outdoor environments;

7. Near-end-of-life and end-of-life electrical and electronic products are a growing concern as a result of dumping in developing countries, which results in the illegal transboundary movement of their hazardous constituents. These include brominated and chlorinated flame retardants;

8. There is a lack of capacity to handle electronic waste in an environmentally sound manner in almost all developing countries and countries with economies in transition, leading to the release of hazardous substances causing harm to human health and the environment. These substances include brominated and chlorinated flame retardants;

9. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can increase fire toxicity and their over-all benefit in improving fire safety has not been proven;

10. When brominated and chlorinated flame retardants burn, highly toxic dioxins and furans are formed;

Therefore, these data support the following:

11. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants as classes of substances are a concern for persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and toxicity;

12. There is a need to improve the availability of and access to information on brominated and chlorinated flame retardants and other chemicals in products in the supply chain and throughout their life cycle;

13. Consumers can play a role in the adoption of alternatives to harmful flame retardants if they are made aware of the presence of the substances, for example through product labeling;

14. The process of identifying alternatives to flame retardants should include not only alternative chemicals but also innovative changes in the design of products, industrial processes and other practices that do not require the use of any flame retardant;

15. Efforts should be made to ensure that current and alternative chemical flame retardants do not have hazardous properties such as mutagenicity, carcinogenicity or adverse effects on the reproductive, developmental, endocrine, immune or nervous systems;

16. When seeking exemptions for certain applications of flame retardants, the party requesting the exemption should supply some information including why the exemption is technically or scientifically necessary and why potential alternatives are not technically or scientifically viable; a description of potential alternative processes, products, materials or systems that eliminate the need for the chemical; and a list of sources researched;

17. Wastes containing flame retardants with Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) characteristics, including products and articles, should be disposed of in such a way that the persistent organic pollutant content is destroyed or irreversibly transformed so that they do not exhibit the characteristics of persistent organic pollutants;

18. Flame retardants with POP characteristics should not be permitted to be subjected to disposal operations that may lead to recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse or alternative uses of the substances;

19. Wastes containing flame retardants with POP properties should not be transported across international boundaries unless it is for disposal in such a way that the persistent organic pollutant content is destroyed or irreversibly transformed;

20. It is important to consider product stewardship and extended producer responsibility aspects in the life-cycle management of products containing flame retardants with POP properties including electronic and electrical products.

Signatories:

1. Georg Becher, Ph.D.

Department Director and Professor, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway

2. David C. Bellinger, Ph.D.

Professor, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, USA

3. Arlene Blum, Ph.D.

Visiting Scholar, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA

4. Phil Brown, Ph.D.

Professor, Sociology and Environmental Studies, Brown University, USA

5. Theo Colborn, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, USA

6. Terrence Collins, Ph.D.

Director of the Institute for Green Science, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

7. Craig Criddle, Ph.D.

Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, USA

8. Margarita Curras-Collazo, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, UC Riverside, USA

9. Cynthia De Wit, Ph.D.

Professor, Zoophysiology, University of Lund, Sweden

10.Mike Denison, Ph.D.

Professor of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, USA

11. David Epel, Ph.D.

Jane & Marshall Steel Jr. Professor Emeritus in Marine Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology, Stanford University, USA

12. Brenda Eskenazi, M.A., Ph.D.

Jennifer and Brian Maxwell Professor of Maternal Health and Epidemiology, UC Berkeley USA

13. Ralph Hall, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, USA

14. Bruce Hammock, Ph.D.

Professor, Entomology, University of California, Davis, USA

Kim Harley, Ph.D.

Associate Director, Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research, UC Berkeley, USA

Stuart Harrad, Ph.D.

Reader, Environmental Chemistry, University of Birmingham, UK

Alastair Iles, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA

James Leckie, M.S., Ph.D.

C.L. Peck, Class of 1906 Professor of Engineering& Director of the Center for Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness, Stanford University, USA

Pamela Lein, Ph.D.,

Professor, Molecular Biosciences, UC Davis, USA

Mark Levine, Ph.D.

Leader, China Energy Group, Former Director, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA

Donald Lucas, Ph.D.

Deputy Director, Environment, Health, and Safety Division, LBNL, USA

Richard Meigs, P.E.

Senior Principal Engineer, RJR Engineering, USA

Mark Miller M.D., M.P.H.

Director, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit & Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Rachel Morello-Frosch, M.P.H., Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science Policy &Management, UC Berkeley

Martin Mulvihill, Ph.D.

Associate Director for Education and Outreach, Center for Green Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Robert H. Rice, Ph.D.

Professor of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, USA

David Roberts, Ph.D.

William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Astrophysics, Brandeis University, USA

Mary Roberts, Ph.D.

Professor, Chemistry, Boston College, USA

Kenneth Sauer, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Susan Shaw, M.F.A., Dr.Ph.

Director, Marine Environmental Research Institute, USA

Tom Young, M.P.P., Ph.D.

Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, USA

R. Thomas Zoeller, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor, Biology Department,University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
Ami Zota, Sc.D.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, UCSF, USA

Annex 1. Abbreviations

ATT: 2,4,6-tribromophenyl allyl ether; CAS 3278-89-5

BTBPE: 1,2-Bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane; CAS 37853-59-1

BEHTBP: bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate; CAS 26040-51-7

BTBPI: ethylene bis(tetrabromophthalimide); CAS 32588-76-4

DBDPE: Decabromodiphenylethane; CAS 84852-53-9

DP: Dechlorane Plus, Bis (hexachlorocyclopentadieno) cyclooctane; CAS 13560-89-9

DPTE: 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether; CAS 35109-60-5

HBCD: Hexabromocyclododecane; α-HBCD CAS 34237-50-6, β-HBCD CAS 34237-51-7; γ-

HBCD CAS 134237-52-8; Mixed isomers (α-, β-, γ-) CAS 3194-55-6; Stereochemistry

unspecified CAS 25637-99-4

HCDBCO: Hexachlorocyclopentadienyl-dibromocyclooctane; CAS 51936-55-1

PBB or PBEB: Pentabromoethylbenzene; CAS 85-22-3

PBT: Pentabromotoluene; CAS 87-83-2

POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants

SCCP: Short-chain chlorinated paraffins; CAS 85535-84-8 and 71011-12-6

TBB: 2-Ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate; CAS 183658-27-7

TBBPA: Tetrabromobisphenol A; CAS 79-94-7

TBBPA – DAE; Tetrabromobisphenol-diallylether; CAS 25327-89-3

TBBPA – DBPE: Tetrabromobisphenol-bis(2,3-dibromopropylether); CAS 21850-44-2

TBECH: 1,2-Dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)cyclohexane; CAS 3322-93-8

TBPH: Bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate; CAS 26040-51-7

TCEP: Tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate; CAS 115-96-8

TDCPP or TDCP: Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate; CAS 13674-87-8

Annex 2. Annotated statement

Commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether has been commonly used in foam for furniture and commercial octabromodiphenyl ether has been used in plastics for electronic products. Both substances have been listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for prohibition of production, use, import, and export in more than 170 countries . POPs pose a threat to Arctic ecosystems and indigenous communities are particularly at risk because of the biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants and the contamination of their traditional foods is a public health issue .

Hexabromobiphenyl (CAS 36355-01-8), another halogenated flame retardant previously used in plastics for electrical products and foam for auto upholstery, is also a POP and has been listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for prohibition of production, use, import, and export in more than 170 countries .

The Stockholm Convention POPs Review Committee is currently evaluating commercial hexabromocyclododecane (CAS 25637-99-4 and 3194-55-6), a brominated flame retardant frequently used in building materials, for possible addition to the Convention due to concerns about its persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and toxicity .

2. Many commonly-used brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can undergo long-range environmental transport;

Modeling studies have identified 120 high production volume brominated and chlorinated chemicals which are structurally similar to known Arctic contaminants and/or have partitioning properties that suggest they are potential Arctic contaminants . These substances include the following 10 halogenated flame retardants: tetrabromodiphenyl ether, pentabromodiphenyl ether, octabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromodiphenyl ether, decabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromocyclododecane, tetrabromocyclohexane, chlorendic acid, tetrabromophthalic anhydride, and 2, 4, 6-tribromophenol.

Monitoring studies show that many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants are found in the Arctic or Antarctic indicating long-range transport. These include the following 14 brominated and chlorinated flame retardants: components of Firemaster 550 (TBB and TBPH) , Dechlorane Plus , BEHTBP9, BTBPE , DBDPE9, TBECH , HBCD , PBEB1, SCCPs , TBBPA , TCEP , BEHTBP9, and hexabromobenzene13.

3. Many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants appear to be persistent and bioaccumulative, resulting in food chain contamination including human milk;

Modeling studies examined 22,263 commercial substances that are not currently part of contaminant measurement programs and identified 610 substances that are likely to be persistent and bioaccumulative . These substances include the following flame retardants: ATT, BTBPE, BEHTBP, BTBPI, DBDPE, Dechlorane Plus, HBCD, pentabromoethylbenzene, TBBPA, TBBPA – DAE, TBBPA – DBPE, TBECH, TBPH (Firemaster 550 component), and TDCPP or TDCP.

Monitoring studies show that many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants are found in the bodies of wildlife and humans and some are found in the indoor environment. These include the following 13 flame retardants: Firemaster 550 compounds TBB and TBPH – (house dust)26, (dolphins and porpoises) , chlorinated tris (TDCPP) (indoor house dust) , Dechlorane Plus (Great Lakes fish, herring gull eggs, and house dust) , BTBPE (Northern Fulmar eggs, Herring Gull eggs, glaucous gulls in the Norwegian Arctic, house dust) 24 11 22, DBDPE (fish and house dust) 22, TBECH (beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic)12, HBCD (Arctic biota including polar bears, human serum, indoor dust, fish, breast milk) 22 , HCDBCO (house dust) , PBEB (Herring Gull eggs, glaucous gulls in the Norwegian Arctic)24 11, SCCPs (Arctic biota and breast milk)14 , TBBPA (marine mammals, predatory bird eggs, breast milk, umbilical cord serum, blood and adipose tissue) , and hexabromobenzene (falcon eggs, eggs of Great Lakes gulls, glaucous gulls in the Norwegian Arctic, human serum). 11

4. Many brominated and chlorinated flame retardants lack adequate toxicity information and the available data raises concerns

In the US the 1970s, brominated tris (tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate) was banned from children’s pajamas and chlorinated tris was removed from pajamas because these two flame retardants caused genetic mutations and were suspected carcinogens . According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, chlorinated tris is a probable human carcinogen . Dechlorane Plus is poorly characterized toxicologically though it shares the chlorinated norbornene moiety with dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, endrin – all substances listed in the Stockholm Convention, and endosulfan (nominated to the Stockholm Convention). A metabolite of BTBPE is 2,4,6-tribomophenol, a thyroid disrupting chemical which has been found in umbilical cord blood . DBDPE is structurally very similar to decaBDE. Neonatal exposure to decaBDE causes changes in learning and behavior in adult animals and an altered response to nicotine, indicating a change in the brain cholinergic system . TBECH is a strong androgen agonist and mutagenic to mammalian cells in vitro . HBCD is very toxic to aquatic organisms and can disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, disrupting normal development, affecting the central nervous system, and inducing reproductive and developmental effects in mammals with some of them being trans-generational . HCDBCO is poorly characterized toxicologically though the substance shares the chlorinated norbornene moiety with dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, endrin – all substances listed in the Stockholm Convention and endosulfan (nominated to the Stockholm Convention). PBEB is poorly characterized toxicologically but the substance is a brominated analogue of ethylbenzene, a carcinogen. SCCPs are considered cancer causing under California’s Proposition 65. TBBPA is structurally similar to thyroxine and shows thyroid hormone activity in vivo and in vitro . It shows estrogenic activity in animals and inhibits neurotransmitter uptake affecting dopamine, GABA, and glutamate . TCEP causes adverse reproductive outcomes and is considered a carcinogen under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65.

5. Many different types of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants have been incorporated into products even though comprehensive toxicological information is lacking

These products include foam used in furniture, plastics used in electrical and electronic products, building materials, textiles, and other types of products. For example:

PentaBDE: polyurethane foam used in upholstered furniture, carpet padding, and automobiles; polyurethane foam containing penta-BDE is being reused in re-bonded carpet cushion and could be used in other recycled products .

OctaBDE: primarily used in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymers for office electrical equipment; other uses include high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyamide polymers .

DecaBDE: primarily used in high impact polystyrene (HIPS) for televisions, printers, and other electrical equipment; also used in thermoplastic polyesters, nylon, polypropylene and polyethylene for wires, cables, connectors and switches .

TBPH and TBB: components of Firemaster 550, a substitute for pentaBDE in polyurethane foam; also used as a plasticizer for PVC and in wire and cable insulation, film and sheeting, carpet backing, coated fabrics, wall coverings and adhesives .

Dechlorane Plus: used in electrical wires, cables, computer connectors, and plastic roofing 73.

BTBPE: substitute for octaBDE 73.

DBDPE: substitute for decaBDE73.

TBECH: used in polystyrene home insulation, adhesives in fabric and vinyl, electrical cables, plastic parts of appliances, and construction materials73.

HBCD: used in polystyrene home insulation, in HIPS plastic for VCR housings and video cassettes, textile coating for upholstery fabric, bed mattresses, transportation upholstery, drapes, and wall coverings 73.

HCDBCO: used in polystyrene 73.

PBEB: used in the 1970s and 1980s in polyester resins for circuit boards, textiles, adhesives, wire and cable coatings, polyurethanes and other resins 73.

SCCPs: used for metal-working and cutting, flame retardants, and plasticizers in paint and sealants 73.

TBBPA: used in printed circuit boards and various plastics and resins 73.

TDCCP: used in polyurethane foam as a pentaBDE substitute, and in plastics, resins, and as a fabric back-coating 73.

TCEP: used in polyurethane foam, plastics, carpet backing, and fabric back-coating73.

6. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants present in a variety of products are released to the indoor and outdoor environments;

Most brominated and chlorinated flame retardant chemicals, including PBDEs, are additive flame retardants in that they are simply mixed with the polymer resin as plastics and foams are being made and are not chemically bound to the material. Consequently, these chemicals leach continuously out of the final product via volatilization and weathering. Over time, these chemicals accumulate in indoor air and dust, and eventually enter the natural environment . Given the ubiquity of these products in the modern world, it should come as no surprise that flame retardant chemicals are being found in all environmental matrices examined including air, water, soil sediment, and sludge .

The consensus Decision II/4D of more than 110 countries at the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management in 2009 uses this language to describe concerns over hazardous substances such as brominated and chlorinated flame retardants within the lifecycle of electrical and electronic products .

9. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants may increase fire toxicity and their all-over benefit in improving fire safety has not been proven;

The fire safety benefit of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants is questionable because they increase the release of carbon monoxide, toxic gases, and soot which are the cause of most fire deaths and injuries . For example, compared to untreated foam, pentaBDE-treated foam releases approximately twice the amount of smoke (833 m2/kg vs. 413 m2/kg), seven times the amount of carbon monoxide (0.13 kg/kg vs 0.018 kg/kg), and nearly 70 times the amount of soot (0.88 vs. 0.013) but only provides 3 additional seconds before ignition compared to untreated foam (19 seconds vs. 16 seconds) . Reducing the sources of ignition can prevent fires without adding potentially hazardous chemicals to consumer products .

10. When brominated and chlorinated flame retardants burn, highly toxic dioxins and furans are formed;

When brominated and chlorinated flame retardants burn, high yields of toxic brominated and chlorinated dioxins and furans are formed . In fact, the total amounts of brominated dioxins/furans generated from polybrominated diphenyl ethers are estimated in the tons scale and in the order of magnitude of the total global formed amounts of chlorinated dioxins and furans . Brominated dioxins have toxicities similar to their chlorinated counterparts in human cell lines, mammalian species, and other assays . In addition, brominated dioxin/furan contamination has been reported in humans, including human milk as well as food and dust .

11. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants as classes of substances are a concern for persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and toxicity;

Please see paragraphs 2 – 4 above.

The consensus Decision II/4C of more than 110 countries at the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management in 2009 uses this statement to apply to all chemical substances 79.

13. Consumers can play a role in the adoption of alternatives to harmful flame retardants if they are made aware of the presence of the substances, for example through product labeling;

This is the conclusion of the Stockholm Convention POPs Review Committee, an expert committee of the Convention that approved a guidance document on considerations relating to alternatives and substitutes .

These recommendations come from the Stockholm Convention POPs Review Committee, an expert committee of the Convention that approved a guidance document in 2009 on considerations relating to alternatives and substitutes for use by all Parties and Observers 99.

Stockholm Convention Article 6, para1; in legal force for more than 170 countries

The consensus Decision II/4D of more than 110 countries at the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management in 2009 uses this statement to describe concerns over hazardous substances within the lifecycle of electrical and electronic products 79.

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