How do brominated flame retardants work?
As a room on fire loses oxygen, combustion becomes less efficient and gases and smoke rapidly increase. Inhaling the toxic air becomes unavoidable for people trapped in a fire. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants work by interfering with combustion, which can increase the amount of the gases.
How does brominated flame retardants affect humans?
Several studies have also confirmed that the brominated flame retardants are indeed endocrine disruptors, with the potential to disrupt male and female reproductive development and adult reproductive function by having anti-androgenic actions (males) and by altering steroidogenic activities.
How do brominated flame retardants help extinguish fires?
Bromine is the most common component because it releases active atoms when heated and can suppress the fire before it reaches its ignition temperature. Atoms in bromine interrupt the chemical reaction within the flames and can slow down the spread of the fire or extinguish it completely.
How do fire retardants work chemically?
Flame retardants inhibit or delay the spread of fire by suppressing the chemical reactions in the flame or by the formation of a protective layer on the surface of a material. They may be mixed with the base material (additive flame retardants) or chemically bonded to it (reactive flame retardants).
How are flame retardants added to polymers?
Flame retardants (FR) are chemical compounds added with an objective to inhibit/retard the ignition/burning of the plastic….Types of Flame Retardants Used Today in Polymers.
| Additive Flame Retardants | Reactive Flame Retardants |
|---|---|
| Added to the polymer through physical mixing | Are added to the polymer via chemical reactions |
What is the difference between flame resistant and flame retardant?
Resistant is defined as a material that is inherently resistant to catching fire (self-extinguishing) and does not melt or drip when exposed directly to extreme heat. Retardant is defined as a material that has been chemically treated to self-extinguish.
Why are BFRs so toxic to the ecosystem?
In addition, the halogen substituent and its potential organohalide metabolites may increase the inherent toxicity of a compound. Thus, due to bromide(s) substituent(s), many BFRs are toxic (acute and chronic), persistent and bioaccumulate in the environment [18].
Why is bromine a good fire retardant?
Bromine is commonly used in flame retardants due to its high atomic mass and its general versatility across a wide range of applications and polymers. There are more than 70 different types of brominated flame retardants with different properties (reactive, polymeric, halogenated…).
Why is bromine used in fire extinguishers?
Bromine based flame retardants are substances that inhibit or slow down the growth of a fire. Modern home and public spaces contain highly flammable materials.
What is fire retardant and how does it work?
Fire retardant contains salts (typically fertilizers) that alter the way wildfires burn, decreasing fire intensity and slowing the advance of the fire, even after the water in the fire retardant has evaporated.
Which polymer classes are flame retardant?
The most effective fire retardant (FR) polymeric materials are halogen-based polymer (PVC, CPVC, FEP, PVDF, etc.)
What is flame retardant additives?
Flame retardant plastic additives are compounds added to plastics and other materials to inhibit, suppress or delay combustion. These compounds are useful in impending burning in the ignition phase of fire. They do not prevent charring or melting nor do they increase the heat resistance of a material.
What are brominated flame retardants?
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) belong to a growing class of compounds known as organohalogens most of which are highly persistent in the environment ( Kodavanti and Loganathan, 2012, Kodavanti and Loganathan, 2014, Kodavanti et al., 2014 ).
Does brominated flame retardant exposure induce spontaneous behaviour in neonates?
Sci., 76 ( 2003), pp. 112 – 120 Neonatal exposure to the brominated flame retardant, 2, 2′,4, 4′,5-pentabromodiphenyl ether, decreases cholinergic nicotinic receptors in hippocampus and affects spontaneous behaviour in the adult mouse Environ. Toxicol.
Can brominated flame retardants inhibit aromatase activity in human adrenocortical carcinoma cells?
Inhibition and induction of aromatase (CYP19) activity by brominated flame retardants in H295R human adrenocortical carcinoma cells Toxicol.
What are flame retardants and why are they used?
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are mixtures of man-made chemicals that are added to a wide variety of products, including for industrial use, to make them less flammable. They are used commonly in plastics, textiles and electrical/electronic equipment. There are five main classes of BFRs, listed here with their common uses: