Title: Flame retardants & PVC in electronics – Electronics TakeBack Coalition
Headings: Flame retardants & PVC in electronics
Browse:
Flame retardants & PVC in electronics
Halogenated compounds
Which halogenated compounds are used in electronics?
Chlorine based compounds
Halogenated compounds’ hazards
Similarities to Dioxin
Halogenated chemicals are problematic at many phases of the lifecycle
Halogenated dioxins and furans

Content: Additionally, if the electronics are not recycled properly at the end of their useful lives, they can generate toxic dioxins in the environment. Currently, somewhere between 50-80% of the electronic waste (e-waste) that is collected by recyclers in the U.S. ends up in developing countries, including China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Philippines, according to the United Nations Environment Programme [xi] and the Basel Action Network [xii]. Once there, the high-value metals are removed to be reclaimed, but most of the halogen-containing plastics are burned. This creates major problems in places where such informal recycling takes place. In 2007, the highest levels of chlorinated dioxins and furans ever reported in the atmosphere were found in the air over Guiyu, China, an area infamous for its electronics recycling activities [xiii] . In Guiyu, the World Health Organization estimates that the daily intake of dioxins and furans by breast-fed infants exceeds guidelines by 11 to 25 times [xiv]. But is also a worldwide concern due to POPs’ ability to travel throughout the globe. In many cases polluted air travels towards the poles, but it is sometimes carried on the trade winds from Asia to North America [xv]. Air can travel from China to California in about a week. Halogenated dioxins and furans
New research indicates that when significant quantities of bromine and chlorine are present in materials being combusted under certain conditions, such as via the informal practices used in Guiyu, China, and elsewhere in the developing world, they result in mixed halogenated dioxins and furans [xvi].