PRIORITISATION OF FLAME RETARDANTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT P R Fisk, A E Girling and R J Wildey Research Contractor: Peter Fisk Associates © Environment Agency 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the Environment Agency. It is not the intention of this report to imply that any particular substance should or should not be used for any particular purpose. It is the aim of this report to evaluate concerns in respect of a wide range of different substances. This report should only be used as a tool to assist in identifying priorities for environmental risk assessment. It should not be used in isolation to assess whether any particular substance should be used for any particular purpose. The Agency has used all reasonable skill and expertise to ensure that the findings of this report are factually correct. The Agency accepts no liability for: - any losses that arise from any subsequent interpretation or application of the findings of this report by a third party; or - indirect or consequential loss (including loss of business, profit, reputation or goodwill). The Agency does not intend to exclude any liability that cannot be excluded at law. ISBN: 978-1-84432-956-4 Product Code: SCHO1008BOTE-E-P Dissemination Status Internal: Release to Chemicals Policy External: Publicly available Statement of Use This report summarises the environmental issues surrounding the use of flame retardant chemicals. It prioritises these on the basis of tonnage, hazardous properties and approximate risk ‘ranking’. The information will help regulatory authorities develop future assessment and monitoring priorities, and guide wider recommendations for policy on flame retardants. Keywords Flame retardant, brominated flame retardant, organophosphate, PBDE, polybromodiphenyl ether, PBT, persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, substitution, hazard, risk Research Contractor Peter Fisk Associates, 9 St Swithin’s Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2HT Fax: +44 (0)1227 779 166 Environment Agency’s Project Manager S M Dungey Environment Agency, Chemicals Assessment Section Isis House, Howbery Park, Wallingford OX10 8BD Fax: +44 (0)1491 828556 http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ This report was produced by the Environment Agency’s Science Group. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of this study was to present an overview of the use of flame-retardant substances in the UK and, in particular, to identify substances that might require detailed consideration in terms of their possible impact on the environment. We have given particular consideration to brominated flame retardants, because these are currently receiving attention in a number of countries. This report does not consider the human health benefits or risks of such substances. An earlier report on this topic, produced in 2001, was circulated electronically by the Agency to Industry and regulatory contacts. Industry responded with considerable amounts of new information. This report updates and broadens the scope of that original report. It also includes new information. It is a stand-alone document, and contains most of the technical work performed in the first study. A confidential Project Record provides some further detail. The researchers have assessed publicly available data and sought information from regulatory authorities and Industry. We approached companies and trade associations at the producer end of the supply chain as well as the users of flame retardants, to get a picture of the whole market. The level of industry input has been fairly high, and a list of industry respondents is included. We have placed our findings in a broad context, so that the use of these substances is clearly understood. Many flame-retardant substances are available on the market, but the range of substrates is wide, as is the range of applications. We summarise the uses, mechanisms of action and environmental regulation of flame retardants, and we consider the routes by which they may enter the environment. We also summarise issues concerning substitution of flame retardants, since this is not a straightforward activity. We note, too, the current growth in the use of inorganic flame retardants. As a result of this project, the main resources now available are: · An Access database of more than 300 substances, summarising all the data (including a large number of predictions to fill gaps) obtained on: - physicochemical properties (such as water solubility, vapour pressure and octanol- water partition coefficient, which are used in models of environmental fate and behaviour); - toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial organisms (including some mammalian toxicity data); - distribution and degradation in the environment; - tonnage and information on suppliers and application (some of this is reported only in a confidential version of the database). The Project Database is available from the Project Manager on request. · An overview of the market for flame retardants, with summaries of major industry sectors. From these data, priority lists of substances for possible further study have been drawn up, based on: - tonnage on the EU market; - hazard, including persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity (PBT) properties; - risk, based firstly on a simple generic exposure model, and secondly as the tonnage on the market that could give rise to a concern (the ‘critical tonnage’). i Reliable UK tonnage data could not be obtained in many cases, and many data gaps exist. Although a lot of substances were included in the investigations, it is clear that many are no longer used in any significant amounts, although confirmation of this has been difficult. The experience of European regulatory bodies with assessments carried out under the Existing Substances Regulation (ESR, EC no. 793/93) shows that a detailed investigation of the life cycle and properties of a substance is needed before firm conclusions about it can be drawn. The ESR risk assessments already carried out on flame retardants have reached a variety of conclusions, but it is clear that some of these substances may pose significant risks to the environment. Some flame retardants (as yet not studied in detail) have indications of potential concern at the screening level comparable with substances that are now subject to regulatory controls. These could become priorities for further detailed analysis. ii CONTENTS 1. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND _________________________________ 1 1.1 Aims and objectives of this project _____________________________________ 1 1.2 Background ________________________________________________________ 1 1.2.1 Why are flame retardants important? ____________________________________________ 1 1.2.2 Environmental issues surrounding flame retardants _________________________________ 3 1.2.3 Summary of relevant international regulatory activity _______________________________ 3 2. GENERAL INFORMATION ON FLAME RETARDANTS _____________ 6 2.1 Additive and reactive flame retardants__________________________________ 6 2.2 Modes of action _____________________________________________________ 6 2.3 Chemical categories of flame retardant _________________________________ 7 2.3.1 Inorganic flame retardants ____________________________________________________ 9 2.3.2 Organohalogens ___________________________________________________________ 10 2.3.3 Organophosphorus compounds________________________________________________ 13 2.3.4 Nitrogen-based flame retardants_______________________________________________ 14 2.3.5 Developing technologies ____________________________________________________ 14 3. RESEARCH METHODS _______________________________________ 16 3.1 Substance identification and use pattern _______________________________ 16 3.2 Property data______________________________________________________ 17 3.2.1 Physicochemical data _______________________________________________________ 17 3.2.2 Distribution and degradation data______________________________________________ 18 3.2.3 Ecotoxicological data _______________________________________________________ 18 3.2.4 Mammalian toxicity data ____________________________________________________ 18 3.2.5 Endocrine disruption effects__________________________________________________ 19 3.3 General analysis of the information collected____________________________ 19 3.3.1 Data gaps ________________________________________________________________ 20 4. FINDINGS CONCERNING THE USE PATTERNS OF FLAME RETARDANTS _______________________________________________ 21 4.1 Applications of flame retardants ______________________________________ 21 4.2 Key industrial sectors _______________________________________________ 21 4.2.1 Plastics __________________________________________________________________ 21 4.2.2 Textiles __________________________________________________________________ 23 4.2.3 Coatings _________________________________________________________________ 23 4.3 End of life and disposal______________________________________________ 23 4.4 Overall trends in the industry ________________________________________ 25 5. SUBSTITUTION ______________________________________________ 26 5.1 Availability of information for brominated flame retardant substances ______ 30 5.2 Grouping of brominated flame retardants for risk assessment _____________ 31 5.3 Information on substitutes for brominated flame retardants _______________ 31 5.4 What