Properties
- group of chemically similar substances (209 congeners): different number and position of the bromine atoms on the two phenyl rings of the diphenylether.
- similar features to those of polychlorinated biphenyls
- white, pungent smelling crystals
Main sources
- use and disposal of products with polybrominated diphenylethers
- sewage
- product gaseous emissions
- landfills
- flame retardants in plastics, textiles, construction materials, electronic equipment, motor vehicles
- used in large quantities
Thresholds for the reporting requirement of facilities in accordance with Annex 2 PRTRO
(Ordinance on the Register relating to Pollutant Release and the Transfer of Waste and of Pollutants in Waste Water)
- Air -
- Water 1 kg/year
- Soil 1 kg/year
Impacts
- vary according to substance
- low-brominated PBDEs (PentaBDE, OctaBDE): toxic, possibly hormonally active (the less brominated, the more toxic)
- high degree of bioaccumulation
- broadly dispersed in the environment and in remote regions, and detected in animal tissue, water and sediments
Measures
- PentaBDE and OctaBDE: banned since 2004 in the EU and Switzerland
- DecaBDE: banned since 2008 in the EU