HALOGENATED CHEMICALS: Role of Photolysis in Migration Studied.

Flame Retardancy News, July, 2004

As scientists, environmentalists and regulators continue to assess the risk posed by decabromodiphenyl ether (deca-BDE) flame retardant, primary research questions concern to what degree, if any, the compound is breaking down into less-brominated congeners in the environment, and what mechanisms may facilitate such a decomposition.

Scientists at the Building and Fire Research Laboratory and the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; Tel: 301/975-6692, Fax: 301/975-4052) are studying those questions. The team is led by Marc Nyden (E-mail: marc.nyden@nist.gov).

The scientists studied deca-BDE encapsulated in high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and irradiated under controlled...