Current state of knowledge and monitoring requirements for emerging "new" brominated flame retardants in flame retarded products and the environment.

Abstract

This report summarises the current state of knowledge on types, market volumes, manufacturers, suppliers and uses of brominated flame retardants of selected “new” BFRs. The accumulated knowledge of their physicochemi-cal properties, potential health and environmental effects is also summarised. Further the potential of these “new” BFRs to become Arctic contaminants is assessed using partitioning properties and figures relating these partition-ing properties to maps defining modes of transport and arctic contamination and bioaccumulation potential. The assessment also takes into account estimates of the persistence of these BFRs in the different environmental com-partments. The report concludes with a summary of the current sampling and analysis techniques and finally the prioritisa-tion report, suggesting which BFRs should be selected as priority compounds for an environmental screening.