The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a draft report on alternatives to the flame retardant chemical, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). This chemical is known to have persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic characteristics, and the report can help manufacturers identify safer alternatives for polystyrene building insulation.
The draft report is part of a current EPA initiative to promote the design and use of safer chemicals and was developed with stakeholder and public participation. It describes the uses of HBCD with an overview of life cycle and exposure information and identifies two viable chemical alternatives. One of the alternatives, a butadiene styrene brominated copolymer, is anticipated to be safer than HBCD and is currently in commercial production in the U.S. Alternative materials are also identified in the report.
The draft report will be available for public review and comment until November 22, 2013 and comments can be submitted to Docket No. EPA-HQ-OPPT-2013-0379 via www.regulations.gov.
In March 2013, as part of a broader effort to address flame retardant chemicals, EPA identified 20 flame retardants for risk assessment under the TSCA work plan. This includes developing full risk assessments on four of these chemicals, including HBCD. EPA will begin development of these risk assessments later this year and anticipates making the draft risk assessments available for public comment and peer review in 2014.
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