Properties of the substitutes of the regulated brominated flame retardants (additives of plastics) in their European registration dossier (80)
Résumé
Some plastic constituents of products include flame retardant compounds to protect the users against fire. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are numerous. Some of them are now banned or restricted due to their POP properties (persistent organic pollutants). So far, the regulated BFRs are polybromobiphenyls, polybromodiphenylethers hexabromocyclododecane and tetrabromobisphenol A. These substances are largely substituted by other (sometimes chemically similar) substances. For instance, 88% of a data set of 216 samples of product and waste samples contained BFR(s) other than the regulated ones (Hennebert 2020). As the substitution is going faster than the classification and regulation, and as homologous substances are used (for instance decabromodiphenylethane / decabromodiphenylether), all these new BFRs should be investigated and their properties assessed and published. This paper investigates the declared chemical properties about human health and the environment of the substitutes in ECHA registration dossier. 59 preparations using 33 BFR substances (other than the regulated ones) can be found in the catalogs of the three main producers. The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) dossier of these substances show that: - 11 substances have a dossier and hazard statements (see below): however, ECHA placed 1 of these substances on the PBT list (“under evaluation as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic”); - 10 substances have a dossier without hazard statements and therefore not classified: ECHA has however placed 4 of these substances on the PBT and ED list (“being assessed as an endocrine disruptor”); - 12 substances have no dossier. As a conclusion, out of a total of 33 substances, 10 do not have a CAS number and dossier, 2 others have no dossier on the ECHA website, and 5 others are being assessed by ECHA for PBT and / or ED, which means that potentially 17 substances could be re-evaluated in the future, and eventually restricted.