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Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether. What is a PBDE. Group of chemicals that are used as flame retardants Found in many plastics Found in many products: TV, stereos, computers, carpets, curtains DO not occur naturally in the environment. Examples of PBDE. There are 7 PBDE’s

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Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether

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  1. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether

  2. What is a PBDE • Group of chemicals that are used as flame retardants • Found in many plastics • Found in many products: • TV, stereos, computers, carpets, curtains • DO not occur naturally in the environment

  3. Examples of PBDE • There are 7 PBDE’s • (Tetra)brominated diphenyl ether • All the way to (deca)brominated dipheyl ether • Usually found in 3 commercial mixtures (penta-, octa-, and deca-) • PBDE’s are used in polyurethane foams in offices

  4. Example: tetrabromodiphenyl ether

  5. Effects • Low vapour pressure • Lower PBDEs are slightly more soluble • Bind more to the organic matter • Increased mortality • Decreased growth rates • Health Canada conducted a fish/seafood survey and found that PBDE levels did not exceed 5.5 ppb • No “direct effect” on humans, even with these levels, there is no posed risk to our health

  6. Regulation • Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers regulations are under subsection 93(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 • Prevents their manufacturing and tries to restrict their use in Canada

  7. Regulation cont’d • Part a) speaks that it is prohibited to directly manufacture any of these PBDEs (4-10) • Part b) prohibits the use, sale, and import of PBDEs that meet the criteria from CEPA 1999

  8. Video – Are Flame Retardants Harming Frogs? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ8tIv7A11s

  9. Risk/Benefit

  10. STSE • Science • (chemistry 12) learned about the many different functional groups • (Canada) We can now spot any chemicals that resemble PBDEs in any way/shape/form and investigate them, to make sure that they are safe • Technology • Computers components were a part of the items that would release the PBDEs into the environment • E-waste

  11. STSE cont’d • Society • We could spread the word to more people about PBDEs so that they can also be aware, that way they can make their own rational decisions with this knowledge • Environment • If there is a decrease in growth rate, we should start preserving the fish, if we leave their population undisturbed for many generations, they will be able to grow properly, rather than being caught while they are not fully developed

  12. Solution Sign up more guards to check products that are coming into Canada for any PBDE, since in CEPA 1999 part b) states that prohibits the import of these items into Canada. Since it is also outlawed to be making these products in Canada, I believe that if we completely cut off our supply of PBDE then after a long time the PBDE that is currently out in the environment will become assimilated and slowly decrease over generations.

  13. Works Cited (May 5, 2004).Fact Sheet: Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Fish. Health Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/chem-chim/environ/pbde-edpb/pbde_fish-edpb_poisson-eng.php (April 19, 2013). Environmental Screening Assessment Report on Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) . Environment Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.ec.gc.ca/lcpe-cepa/default.asp?lang=En&n=DF7DE982-1 (October 3, 2013). Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs). Environment Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.ec.gc.ca/toxiques-toxics/Default.asp?lang=En&n=98E80CC6-1&xml=5046470B-2D3C-48B4-9E46-735B7820A444

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