Electrical & Electronic Equipment: Flame Retardant Regulatory Issues

Plastics are used in numerous electrical and electronic products that help make our lives easier and more productive. Many of these products that we use on a daily basis contain flame retardants as a passive means of fire protection to help safeguard society. 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 confirms that since the use of flame retardants in TV applications began, a substantial reduction in fire deaths has been achieved. The primary flame retardant resins used in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) housings include HIPS, ABS, PC/ABS blends, and PPO/HIPS blends. Brominated flame retardants are utilized in EEE applications containing HIPS and ABS resins, while phosphorus flame retardants are normally utilized in PC/ABS blends and PPO/HIPS blends. The printed wiring boards in EEE applications contain a polymeric coating that typically has a flame retardant reacted into the polymer backbone. There are other flame retardant plastics contained in EEE, such as connectors and wire & cable coatings that contain a variety of flame retardants, depending on the particular resin used. Flame retardants have received a considerable amount of negative publicity due to perceived environmental and toxicological issues.