The invention and proliferation of plastics has helped to make our society a better place to live. Flame retardants improve the fire safety of plastic used in many everyday products. Since flame retardants work in a passive mode to help prevent fires from starting and slow down the progress of fires that do start, we generally do not realize the important role they have in helping to protect our safety and well being. In the end-use application, flame retardants delay the spread of fires or delay the time of flashover in order to enable people more time to escape the effects of the fires. The ultimate purpose of their use is to save lives, reduce injury, reduce destruction of property, and reduce local pollutants that result from fires. Research has shown that since the use of flame retardants in applications such as furniture and TV housings began, a substantial reduction in fire deaths has been achieved. Flame retardants have received a considerable amount of negative publicity due to perceived environmental and toxicological issues. A great deal of information is publicly available on the potential health and environmental effects of commonly used flame retardants. Several of these flame retardants, both brominated and phosphorus, have completed or are currently undergoing EU Risk Assessments. This paper will address the current regulatory status of flame retardants, with specific emphasis on the commonly used flame retardants. Updates on the status of the EU Risk Assessments, US activity, and worldwide regulations (including the status of REACH) involving various flame retardants will be presented.
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