Flame Retardants: New and Old Environmental Contaminants

Abstract

Flame retardants are a group of compounds used in a variety of consumer goods to inhibit or retard the spread of flames. Several classes of chemical compounds have such capabilities, however, the persistence of these compounds in the environment and their toxicity are crucial points for a risk assessment. Classes such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have already been banned in some parts of the world while they are still permitted and extensively used in other parts of the globe. In the need for substitutes for the toxic compounds used, new structures have been synthesized and suggested by the industry as an alternative and substitutives flame retardants. The objective of this review is to address the classes of compounds used as flame retardants in terms of their toxicity to human or non-human organisms and their persistence in the environment.