The Global Market for Surfing is Projected to Reach US$9.5 Billion by 2022

The global market for Bromine is projected to reach US$5.3 billion by 2025 sustained largely by emerging new applications and to a lesser extent by the continued yet highly debated use of halogenated flame retardants wherein bromine is the widely used chemical, followed by Chlorine. Over the decades, Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) along with chlorinated flame retardants have become the most widely used flame retardants used almost ubiquitously in plastics, furniture, textiles and electrical/electronic equipment. Benefits of BFRs which have led to their rapid proliferation include unrivalled levels of effectiveness in retarding fire and delaying its spread; lower costs; and ability to provide high flame protection in lower quantities. Types of BFRs widely used include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDES) which are used in plastics; hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDS) which are used in building thermal insulations; tetrabromobisphenol a (TBBPA) which are used in PCBS, electronics and thermoplastics; and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBS) used in textiles and consumer appliances. Stringent fire safety regulations and standards in homes, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, offices, factories etc. have over the years led to the popularity of BFRs. Of late however, several research studies have classified several of the 80 types of brominated flame retardants as global contaminants and environmentally hazardous. These chemicals are also closely linked to endocrine and thyroid disruption, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, cancer and adverse effects on fetal and child development and neurologic function. These include PentaBDE, octaBDE, PBB, PBDE, dekaBDE, HBCDD, and TBBP A. Other brominated flame retardants are also under the radar as a suspected health and environmental hazard, although there exists very limited and hugely dissimilar data on the safety of these compounds in wildlife, food or humans. Lack of limited data and inconclusive scientific opinions make risk characterization and assessment difficult and not foolproof. Performing a hazard characterization is difficult for chemicals that have insufficient information. Read More…