FLAME RETARDANT ALTERNATIVES FOR HEXABROMOCYCLODODECANE (HBCD) Chapter 4

This chapter summarizes the toxicological and environmental hazards of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and each of the three alternative chemicals that were identified as potential functional substitutes for HBCD. Evaluations of chemical formulations may also include associated substances (e.g., starting materials, by-products, and impurities) if their presence is specifically required to allow that alternative to fully function in the assigned role. Otherwise, pure substances were analyzed in this assessment. Users of the alternative assessments should be aware of the purity of the trade product they purchase, as the presence of impurities may alter the assessment of the alternative. This report is a hazard assessment, not a risk assessment. Hazard assessment as a risk management tool is discussed in more detail in Section 1.4. Toxicological and environmental endpoints included in the hazard profiles are discussed in Section 4.1 along with the criteria used to evaluate each hazard endpoint. Data sources and the review methodology are described in Section 4.2. The report then offers a detailed description of the utility of physical-chemical properties in understanding hazard in Section 4.3 and the process of evaluating human health and environmental endpoints in Sections 4.4 and 4.5, respectively.