title: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in China: policies and recommendations for sound management of plastics from electronic wastes.
abstract: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), used as flame retardants (BFRs), are incorporated in plastics of most electronic equipment. Among BFR mixtures, deca-BDE is the most widely used commercial additive in the polymer industry and the use of deca-BDE is currently not subject to any restrictions in China. However, debate over environmental and health risks associated with deca-BDE still remains. Regulatory agencies in developed countries have adopted and/or established environmentally sound strategies for the management of potential threat posed by PBDEs to the environment and human health. No regulations or management policies for PBDEs currently exist in China at either central or provincial government levels. Large amounts of plastics containing PBDEs are still in use and must be disposed of after their lifetimes, creating outdoor reservoirs for the future dispersal of PBDEs into the environment. Concerted action is needed not only to regulate the production and use of PBDEs but also to find ways to effectively manage waste electrical and electronic products that contain PBDEs. This article is the first to investigate the policy issues and current problems related to the use of PBDEs in China. In addition, we estimate the mass flows of PBDEs contained in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in China. We suggest alternatives to PBDEs and sound management of plastics used in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) that contain PBDEs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Yonglong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Tieyu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yajuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Kurunthachalam
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qiushuang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shijie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D059029:Electronic Waste; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000379:methods*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D010969:Plastics
chemical_list: D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D010969:Plastics