HAZARDOUS PROPERTIES OF BROMINATED, PHOSPHORUS, CHLORINATED, NITROGEN AND MINERAL FLAME RETARDANTS IN PLASTICS WHICH MAY HINDER THEIR RECYCLING
- Available online in Detritus - Volume 17 - December 2021
- Pages 49-57
Released under CC BY-NC-ND
Copyright: © 2021 CISA Publisher
Abstract
Flame retardants are numerous and some of them are (re)classified with time as hazardous for the man and the environment. A list of 69 flame retardants used in EU was set from three sources and their chemical properties were searched in their registration dossier at ECHA. Substance self-classifications (hazard statement assignment by the registrant) frequently indicate no hazard or data not available, while for the same substances a re-evaluation by ECHA is underway as persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic or endocrine disruptor. When the substance has hazard statement(s), the concentration that triggers the classification of a plastic as hazardous when it is a waste can be compared to the functional concentration, when available. Registration dossiers should be completed for the many “non-available” information. Of these 69 substances, 12 (= 17%) are used at concentrations greater than those making plastic waste hazardous and 13 (= 19%) are under re-evaluation by ECHA. These 12 or 13 substances should not become “legacy” substances which hinder the recycling of plastics. The sorting (mainly by density) and management options of these flame-retarded plastics are discussed. The technical concentration limit of 2000 mg total Br/kg for sorting should not be modified as it includes all organobromine substances currently reassessed by ECHA. A two-step sorting process is necessary to avoid the loss of non-hazardous dense plastics.Keywords
- ECHA
- Hazard
- persistent organic pollutant (POP)
- Persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT)
- Endocrine disruptor (ED)
Editorial History
- Received: 17 Aug 2021
- Revised: 03 Nov 2021
- Accepted: 24 Nov 2021
- Available online: 16 Dec 2021
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