Editing Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (section)

==Regulations of PBDEs==
===United States===
In August 2003, the State of California outlawed the sale of penta- and octaBDE and products containing them, effective 1 January 2008.<ref name="PBDEban">{{cite web|url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/03-04/bill/asm/ab_0301-0350/ab_302_bill_20030811_chaptered.html|title=BILL NUMBER: AB 302, An act to add Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 108920) to Part 3 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to toxic substances.|website=www.leginfo.ca.gov}}</ref> PBDEs are ubiquitous in the environment, and, according to the EPA, exposure may pose health risks. According to U.S. EPA's Integrated Risk Information System, evidence indicates that PBDEs may possess liver toxicity, thyroid toxicity, and neurodevelopmental toxicity.<ref name="IRIS BDE-209">US Environmental Protection Agency. [https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris/iris_documents/documents/toxreviews/0035tr.pdf Toxicological Profile for Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209)], Integrated Risk Information System, June 2008.</ref><ref name="IRIS BDE-99">US Environmental Protection Agency. [https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris/iris_documents/documents/toxreviews/1008tr.pdf Toxicological Profile for 2,2',4,4',5-Pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99)], Integrated Risk Information System, June 2008.</ref> In June 2008, the U.S. EPA set a safe daily exposure level ranging from 0.1 to 7&nbsp;μg/kg body weight per day for the four most common PBDE congeners.<ref name="IRIS BDE-209" /><ref name="IRIS BDE-99" /><ref name="IRIS BDE-47">US Environmental Protection Agency. [https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris/iris_documents/documents/toxreviews/1010tr.pdf Toxicological Profile for 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47)], Integrated Risk Information System, June 2008.</ref><ref name="IRIS BDE-153">US Environmental Protection Agency. [https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris/iris_documents/documents/toxreviews/1009tr.pdf Toxicological Profile for 2,2',4,4',5,5'-Hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153)], Integrated Risk Information System, June 2008.</ref> In April 2007, the legislature of the state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] passed a bill banning the use of PBDEs.<ref name="PBDEbanWA">[http://www.seattlepi.com/local/311845_pbdes17.html "Chemical ban puts industry on the defensive."] State of Washington bans use of PBDEs.</ref> The State of [[Maine]] Department of Environmental Protection has restrictions on PBDEs, and in 2008, the legislature passed a bill phasing out the use of decaBDE.<ref name="maine">{{cite web |title=Restrictions on sale and distribution of brominated flame retardants |url=https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/38/title38sec1609.html |publisher=Maine Legislature |access-date=26 December 2024 |date=1 January 2006}}</ref>

The U.S. importers and manufacturers of PBDEs withdrew pentaBDE and octaBDE from sale in 2004, and decaBDE from sale by the end of 2013.<ref name="ATSDRToxProfile2017"/>{{rp|p=10}}<ref name=EPA-DecaBDE-alternatives-overview>{{Cite web |title=Partnership to Evaluate Flame Retardant Alternatives to DecaBDE |author-link=United States Environmental Protection Agency |date=31 January 2014 |access-date=8 September 2024 |url=https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/partnership-evaluate-flame-retardant-alternatives-decabde |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20150317045713/https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/partnership-evaluate-flame-retardant-alternatives-decabde |archive-date=17 March 2015}}</ref> In November 2024, the EPA added decaBDE to the [[Toxic Substances Control Act]] to prohibit release into water during manufacturing, processing or distribution in commerce of decaBDE and decaBDE-containing products, and a phase-out of processing and distribution of wire and cable insulation containing decaDBE for nuclear power facilities.<ref name="epa24">{{cite web |title=Decabromodiphenyl Ether and Phenol, Isopropylated Phosphate (3:1); Revision to the Regulation of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/11/19/2024-25758/decabromodiphenyl-ether-and-phenol-isopropylated-phosphate-31-revision-to-the-regulation-of |publisher=Federal Register, 40 CFR Part 751, Environmental Protection Agency |access-date=26 December 2024 |date=19 November 2024}}</ref>

===Canada===
Since 2012, PBDEs are among chemicals prohibited from manufacture, use, sale, offer for sale or import, as regulated in the Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations of the 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection Act.<ref name="ecc">{{cite web |title=Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2012: frequently asked questions |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/prohibition-certain-toxic-substances-regulations-questions.html |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada, Government of Canada |access-date=26 December 2024 |date=8 March 2022}}</ref> PBDEs are regarded in the regulation as  "toxic to the environment and/or human health, are generally persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or inherently toxic."<ref name=ecc/>

===European Union===
The European Union decided to ban the use of two classes of flame retardants, in particular, PBDEs and [[polybrominated biphenyl]]s (PBBs) in electric and electronic devices.<ref name=efsa-over/> This ban was formalised in the [[RoHS]] Directive, and an upper limit of 1&nbsp;g/kg for the sum of PBBs and PBDEs was set. In February 2009, the [[Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements]] released two certified reference materials to help analytical laboratories better detect these two classes of flame retardants. The reference materials were custom-made to contain all relevant PBDEs and PBBs at levels close to the legal limit.<ref name=efsa-over/>

===International===
At an international level, in May 2009 the Parties of the [[Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants]] (POPs) decided to list commercial [[pentaBDE]] and commercial [[octaBDE]] as POP substances. This listing is due to the properties of hexaBDE and heptaBDE, which are components of commercial octaBDE, and to the properties of tetraBDE and pentaBDE, which are the main components of commercial pentaBDE.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pops.int/Convention/ThePOPs/TheNewPOPs/tabid/2511/|title=Information on the 16 chemicals added to the Stockholm Convention|first=Stockholm Convention Clearing|last=House}}</ref> In 2017, it was decided to also list decaBDE.<ref name="COP2017"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sharkey|first1=Martin|last2=Harrad|first2=Stuart|last3=Abou-Elwafa Abdallah|first3=Mohamed|last4=Drage|first4=Daniel S.|last5=Berresheim|first5=Harald|date=2020|title=Phasing-out of legacy brominated flame retardants: The UNEP Stockholm Convention and other legislative action worldwide|journal=Environment International|volume=144|pages=106041|doi=10.1016/j.envint.2020.106041|pmid=32822924|doi-access=free|bibcode=2020EnInt.14406041S |hdl=10379/16242|hdl-access=free}}</ref>