The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has, at the request of the European Commission, submitted a report proposing a restriction on the manufacturing, use and placing on the market of bis(pentabromophenyl) ether (decaBDE), and on articles containing decaBDE in concentrations greater than 0.1% by weight. ECHA collaborated with the Norwegian Environment Agency throughout the drafting of the restriction proposal.
According to the information note that accompanies the public consultation, decaBDE is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and also very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) because it transforms to substances with these properties in the environment. It was added to the Candidate List for authorisation in December 2012. PBT/vPvB substances give rise to specific concerns based on their potential to accumulate in the environment and cause effects that are unpredictable in the long-term and are difficult to reverse, even when emissions cease. Information from environmental monitoring shows that decaBDE occurs widely in the environment and in wildlife. In addition to PBT/vPvB concerns, exposure to decaBDE and lower brominated transformation products may result in neurotoxic effects in mammals, including humans.
DecaBDE is used as an additive flame retardant in plastic and textile articles, particularly in domestic and commercial furniture and in the transport, construction and mining sectors. The restriction proposal contains derogations for the second hand market, for electrical and electronic equipment within the scope of the RoHS Directive and for the aviation sector. The main cost elements of the proposed restriction for society, identified in the proposal, relate to the costs of substitution with other chemical substances.
ECHA launched the public consultation on this proposed restriction in September 2014, which will end on 17 March 2015. However, the rapporteurs of ECHA’s Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) would welcome any early comments, by 17 November 2014, to assist them in the first discussions of the restriction proposal.