| Abstract: | Bromine is used as the building block for some of the most effective flame retarding agents available to the plastics industry today. They are used to protect against the risk of accidental fires in a wide range of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), as all flame retardants, act to decrease the risk of fire by increasing the fire resistance of the materials in which they are applied. There is a perception that BFRs affect adversely the end‐of‐life management of plastics through formation of Polybrominated Dibenzo Dioxins and Dibenzo Furans (PBDD/F). In fact, there exists a wide range of data and practical experience demonstrating that the end‐of‐life management of plastics containing BFRs is fully compliant with legislation setting the strictest limit values for PBDD/F and is fully compatible with an integrated waste management concept. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
