Ronald Dombrowski, TechTex Solutions

Abstract: Over the past few years, with the growing of people’s environment protection and health consciousness, efforts are underway to eliminate brominated flame retardants (FRs) due to the identification of some FRs as hazardous to human health. Although decabromodiphenyl ether (DECA) is exempted from the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives after pentabromodiphenyl ether and octabromodiphenyl were identified as hazardous and the use of which is prohibited, there is a common assumption about the dangers of DECA. It is the purpose of this paper to present an alternative viewpoint relative to the safe use of this halogenated flame retardant.
Key words: decabromodiphenyl ether (DECA); toxicity; flame retardant; brominated flame retardant.