Pentabromodiphenyl ether as a global POP 1 2 Pentabromodiphenyl ether as a global POP Johanna Peltola Leena Ylä-Mononen Finnish Environment Institute Chemicals Division TemaNord 2000:XX 3 4 Contents PREFACE........................................................................................................................................ 7 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... 8 SAMMANDRAG .......................................................................................................................... 10 YHTEENVETO ............................................................................................................................ 12 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 14 1.1 INTERNATIONAL LEGALLY BINDING INSTRUMENTS FOCUSING ON POPS ........................... 14 1.2 ADDING NEW POPS TO THE INSTRUMENTS ........................................................................ 15 1.3 OBJECTIVES AND STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT................................................................... 16 2 CHEMICAL IDENTITY.................................................................................................... 18 3 INFORMATION ON PENTABROMODIPHENYL ETHER IN RELATION TO THE POP SCREENING CRITERIA................................................................................................... 20 3.1 PERSISTENCE..................................................................................................................... 20 3.2 BIOACCUMULATION .......................................................................................................... 21 3.3 POTENTIAL FOR LONG-RANGE ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT............................................ 22 3.4 ADVERSE EFFECTS............................................................................................................. 24 4 STATEMENT OF THE REASONS FOR CONCERN AND NEED FOR GLOBAL ACTION ........................................................................................................................................ 25 5 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON PENTABROMODIPHENYL ETHER.............. 26 5.1 SOURCES ........................................................................................................................... 26 5.1.1 Production and market............................................................................................ 26 5.1.2 Uses......................................................................................................................... 27 5.1.3 Releases to the environment.................................................................................... 27 5.1.4 Aspects concerning recycling of materials containing pentaBDE .......................... 30 5.1.5 Brominated dioxins and furans ............................................................................... 30 5.2 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES ............................................................................. 31 5.3 ENVIRONMENTAL FATE ..................................................................................................... 32 5.3.1 Degradation and transformation ............................................................................ 32 5.3.2 Environmental transport......................................................................................... 32 5.3.3 Bioaccumulation and biomagnification .................................................................. 34 5.4 EFFECTS ............................................................................................................................ 36 5.4.1 Environment............................................................................................................ 36 5.4.2 Laboratory mammals –health effects ...................................................................... 37 5.4.3 Predicted no effect levels ........................................................................................ 38 5.5 EXPOSURE ......................................................................................................................... 38 5.5.1 Environmental exposure.......................................................................................... 38 5.5.2 Exposure of humans................................................................................................ 46 5.6 GENERAL INFORMATION ON NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS ON PENTABDE ................................................................................................................................. 47 5.6.1 Classification and labelling .................................................................................... 47 5 5.6.2 Available risk evaluations....................................................................................... 48 5.6.3 Status under international conventions................................................................... 48 6 ALTERNATIVES AND POLLUTION PREVENTION TECHNIQUES ...................... 49 6.1 ALTERNATIVE CHEMICALS AND METHODS ........................................................................ 49 6.2 POLLUTION PREVENTION TECHNIQUES .............................................................................. 49 REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................. 51 ANNEX 1. EXECUTIVE BODY DECISION 1998/2 ON INFORMATION TO BE SUBMITTED AND THE PROCEDURE FOR ADDING SUBSTANCES TO ANNEXES I, II OR III TO THE POPS PROTOCOL (EB.AIR/WG.5/52, ANNEX II)..................................................................... 60 ANNEX 2. ARTICLE 8 AND ANNEXES D-F OF THE UNEP POP CONVENTION................ 63 ANNEX 3. COMPARISON OF PENTABDE AND ITS ALTERNATIVES TCPP AND PBBE.69 ANNEX 4. USES AND MARKET OF BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS IN THE WESTERN EUROPE IN 1998....................................................................................................... 70 ANNEX 5. MONITORING DATA FROM REGIONAL BACKGROUND AREAS. .................. 71 ANNEX 6. RECENT MONITORING DATA FROM POLLUTED AREAS................................ 72 6 Preface The global negotiations on the convention restricting persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were successfully concluded in the end of the year 2000. While these negotiations focussed solely on the 12 chemicals already generally recognised as POPs, the Nordic Chemicals Group decided to further work on identifying new candidates and gathering information on them. Pentabromodiphenyl ether was selected as a pilot chemical for which a background document was to be prepared. This report has been prepared in the Finnish Environment Institute by Johanna Peltola and Leena Ylä-Mononen under a contract with the Nordic Chemicals Group. The work has been financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers (project number 33.06.24.10) and the Finnish Environment Institute. Bert-Ove Lund from Kemikalieinspektionen, Sweden, has been in charge of the project. He and other members of the project Steering Group, Helgi Jensson (Holstuvernd rikisins), Niklas Johansson (Naturvårdsverket), Vibeke Sømnes (Statens forurensningstilsyn), and Kim Petersen (Miljøstyrelsen) have provided valuable information and guided the work with their comments. We thank all those various experts who have kindly provided us with information on pentaBDE and those who have commented the text. The authors would also like to thank the Steering Group members for their constructive comments. The authors would also wish to thank Mr. Joel Pottala for correcting the English. 7 Summary There are two international instruments for restricting the use and releases of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These are the global UNEP POP Convention (signed in 2001) and the POP Protocol of the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (signed in 1998). Both frameworks restrict the production and use of selected POPs. They also have obligations related to release reduction measures for by-products such as dioxins and furans and related to waste management measures. Both frameworks have mechanisms and criteria for including new substances within their scope. The screening criteria are approximately the same in both instruments. Firstly, the substance has to have potential for long-range environmental transport (LRET); in the UNEP POP Convention criterion LRET can occur via air, water or migratory species, whereas the UNECE considers only substances susceptible to LRET via air. In addition, there has to be evidence that the substance is persistent in the environment and that it is bioaccumulating. Also evidence of its ability to cause adverse effects is required. This document reviews the POP properties of a brominated flame retardant, commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE) in relation to the screening criteria and gives some additional background information for consideration of its possible nomination as a new POP to be included within the two international frameworks. According to the data gathered, pentaBDE seems to fulfil the screening criteria set for adding new substances into both POP frameworks. There is clear monitoring evidence of contamination from remote regions and air analyses show that the major components of pentaBDE can be transported long-range by air because they have been observed in a significant portion in the vapour phase. In addition,