Pentabromodiphenyl ether

Pentabromodiphenyl ether (PentaBDE) is a brominated flame retardant and belongs to the group of polybrominated diphenylethers.

Uses
PentaBDE is used in conjunction with antimony trioxide as a flame retardant in flexible and rigid polyurethane foam. There was also a use in printed circuit boards in Asia. The annual consumption worldwide was estimated as 7,500 tons in 2001, of which 150 tons were used by the European industry. PentaBDE is a technical mixture of different congeners, with BDE-99 and BDE-47 as the most abundant. 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 PentaBDE 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
PentaBDE 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, PentaBDE was found in all blood samples of EU parliamentarians. PentaBDE 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.