The Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) today presented a commission report to the government on the brominated flame retardant decaBDE and its potential to cause environmental problems. KemI intends to continue activities within the scope of the EU study on the risks connected with using decaBDE, particularly in respect of the ongoing overview of the EU directive on electrical and electronic equipment, RoHS.

DecaBDE is used only on a small scale in Sweden. The substance occurs mostly in electronics manufactured or imported before the RoHS Directive came into force in 2006. It is, therefore, important that the scope of the directive is maintained.

There are several areas of use in the EU where decaBDE can still be found. In furniture, specific textiles and industry tools, cars and aeroplanes, for example. Swedish industry has stopped using decaBDE in furniture and textiles, and are well underway in the car sector. Use in medical-technical products and surveillance and control instruments still occurs but will probably be limited by the RoHS Directive when the survey has come to an end.

KemI´s report to the government gives an account of studies conducted in recent years and how they strengthen the suspicions of the flame retardant decaBDE being a PBT substance (persistent, bioaccumulating and toxic). The studies show that the concentration is unchanged in birds of prey and that the substance is persistent and has a negative effect on the development of animals.

The report states that it is important to follow the decreased use of the flame retardant in Sweden. If it is not reduced in the environment in the next few years, additional measures must be proposed.
 
Read the report in Swedish with an English summary:

DekaBDE – rapport från ett regeringsuppdrag (DecaBDE – report of a government commission)

Background

In 2008, the Swedish government repealed the national ban on using decaBDE in textiles and furniture. The government considered that all use of decaBDE should be regulated at EU level and that EU legislation is more effective from a health and environmental perspective than national regulations. When the rules were repealed, KemI was commissioned to advocate for continued risk assessment of decaBDE in the EU and to maintain the channel of communication with trade and industry as well as with the civil sector on alternatives to decaBDE.