Let. All use polyimade. Cheaper than feed politicians.
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----- Original Message -----
From: TechNet <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tue Jun 10 15:52:35 2008
Subject: Re: [TN] Flame retardants ignite controversy - Posted without comment
OK so the EU through Oko is recommending banning them why?.
Should they not just enforce the Basel convention or is this just too
simplistic a view. Seems that Oko are trying to band aid the Basel
convention rather than address the issue and recommend enforcement??
One thing I can pretty much guarantee is that the eventual replacements for
flame retardents and the laminate in which they reside will not result in
the lemming like leap that occurred with lead free finishes by the component
manufacturers.
The reason I put forward for this is that the laminate industry already
provides a plethora of laminate types. So adding another range will not make
much difference particularly when they are more expensive and device
manufacturers actually do run 2 product codes down their lines one compliant
and expensive and one non compliant and aimed at the rest of the World
outside the EU ( Yes "EU politically correct land" there is a World out
there - it just tends to put more thought into these issues though)
Just my thoughts
John Burke
(408) 515 4992
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Joe Fjelstad
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 12:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Flame retardants ignite controversy - Posted without comment
for your consideration...
Joe
http://www.edn.com/blog/570000257/post/1740027974.html?nid=3357&rid=20860561
3
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Flame retardants ignite controversy
Jun 10 2008 7:31AM
Accurate figures are difficult to obtain, but it has been estimated that
fires kill around 10,000 people a year globally, in which the cause is
attributed to faulty electrical wiring in buildings and in electrical
equipment. Flame
retardants have been used very effectively in a wide variety of electrical
equipment to prevent fires, reduce their seriousness and also to delay onset
to
allow people more time to evacuate. In fact, research has shown that when
flame retardants are used as additives to plastics, the amount of time to
escape is increased by 15 times. Since they were introduced, thousands of
lives
have been saved, and so there is no doubt about their value.
Many types of plastics burn very easily. It has been estimated that the
plastics in a typical TV set are equivalent to 1.5 gallons of gas, not
something
consumers want in their living rooms! However, only around 12% of plastics
contain flame retardants. Some types are inherently resistant to fire, such
as
rigid PVC, and so do not need flame retardant additives. Some equipment is
not at risk such as battery powered products like mobile phones because of
the
low voltages used, and therefore flame retarded plastics are not needed.
Mobile phone battery chargers, however, do need to have flame retardants as
they
are powered at standard voltages, and so arcing and high temperatures can
occur if there is a defect.
But BFRs (brominated flame retardants) are now at the center of considerable
debate. The review of the ROHS directive, undertaken by the German
organization Oko on behalf of the European Commission, is looking at a
significant
number of them, along with 46 other chemical compounds, and may well
recommend
the restriction of some, or all of them.
So, why will they be banned when many have already been tested, and it was
concluded that they pose no threat to human health and the environment?
Well, Oko is recommending a ban on all organobromine and organochlorine
compounds, including brominated flame retardants because of "backyard
recycling"
of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) in countries that do not
have the know-how, or facilities, to dismantle safely.
The toxic fumes created by backyard and roadside fires are having a
significant affect on human health, even causing death.
While the Basel Convention should stop the shipping of WEEE to such
countries, a lot of the scrap still comes from the likes of the United
States, which
has not yet ratified it.
Flame retardants seem a classic example of a need for a risk-benefit balance
based on assessments that the ROHS directive and REACH regulations were
designed to resolve. It's a trade-off between safe furniture, fabrics, and
electronics or the fatalities caused in the poorer villages of China,
India, and
Africa.
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2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)
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