brominated flame retardants

Although the U.S. and the EU banned the manufacturing of certain types of PBDEs (polybrominated diphenylethers) by 2004, Britain's progress on the regulation front is much slower and PBDEs have yet to be completely phased out.

PBDEs have gained a prominent place in the hierarchy of most toxic organophosphates because they are "bioaccumulative," meaning they do not break down, but successfully persist and remain toxic in our environment.PBDEs have been found in:

human breast milk,

wild salmon and

the arctic.

In fact, PBDEs even stick to household dust.

As your polyurethane foam and Dacron sofa ages, for example, your house dust can get more and more contaminated, affecting your home air quality. Many people currently own PBDE-treated upholstered furniture, so it's likely to be around for years to come in our homes, and it is impossible to predict how long it will remain as a persistent overall contaminant on the planet, and in our food chain.

And it's not just PBDEs. The entire organophosphate family of flame-retardants (of which PBDEs are one member) is potentially toxic even if the compounds are not bioaccumulative, brominated, or chlorinated.

For example, some alternative non-brominated, yet potentially toxic, organophosphate compounds are used now in place of PBDEs in furniture, on fabrics, and in carpet padding. Other types of organophosphate flame-retardants, including some highly toxic types of chlorinated flame-retardants, are still used in foam joint sealants and foam insulation, and many other interior and building materials made from polyurethane foam. In fact, anything that's made from polyurethane foam must be treated with some type of organophosphate flame-retardant compound to meet flammability regulations.

However, there is good news! We can control the contaminant levels of not only PBDEs, but of all toxic organophosphate contaminants in our own homes. Until all organophosphate flame-retardants in use are proven to be safe, I recommend following a precautionary course of action for textiles and polyurethane foam of any kind in the home.

We are therefore developing a series of non-halogen flame retardants for textile back coating. These products were historically classified as Environmentally Hazardous Substances.There is no change in their flame retardant performance or processing characteristics.

 Young Yao

Marketing development manager

Zhejiang Ruico Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. (Stock No.873233)

Add: No.188, Liangshan Road, Linghu Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China 313018

Phone: +86 (572) 2903236

Fax: +86 (572) 2905222

WhatsApp: +86 15088303595

Wechat: 18458299199

Website: www.ruicoglobal.com

[email protected]