Octabromodiphenyl ether

Octabromodiphenyl ether (OctaBDE) is a brominated flame retardant and belongs to the group of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Commercial OctaBDE (also known as "Octabrom") is a technical mixture of different congeners, having an average of 7.2 to 7.7 bromine atoms per molecule of diphenyl ether.

Uses
OctaBDE is used in conjunction with antimony trioxide as a flame retardant in electrical and electronic equipment, mainly in the plastic acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, but also high impact polystyrene, polybutylene terephthalate and polyamide. Typical contents are 12–15%. The annual consumption worldwide was estimated as 3,790 tons in 2001, of which 610 tons were used by the European industry. The European Union has carried out a comprehensive risk assessment under the Existing Substances Regulation 793/93/EEC. As a consequence, the EU has banned the use of OctaBDE since 2004. California has enacted a ban since June 2006. In 1986, the German industry has made a voluntary commitment not to use this substance.

Relevance
OctaBDE is released by different processes into the environment. Elevated environmental concentrations can be found in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, soil, and sediments. It also occurs in sewage sludge and house dust. In an investigation carried out by the WWF, OctaBDE was found in all blood samples of EU parliamentarians. OctaBDE has been proposed for adding to the Stockholm Convention as this substance meets the criteria of persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity, the so-called persistent organic pollutants.