Dr. (Mrs.) Neeta Thacker Chief Scientist & Exhead

Analytical Instruments Division & Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research

CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research

Institute (NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur

INDIA

Flame retardant

Gasoline additive

Pesticide

Medical and veterinary uses

E-waste

Manufacturing processes

As a byproduct (usually in case of salt production, agro-based industries)

Companies:

Indian

Hindustan Salts - Bromine based pesticides, pharmaceuticals, fire extinguisher &

dyes

Solaris ChemTech - Bromine & bromine chemicals India’s producer of tetra

bromobisphenol -A & decabromodiphenyl oxide

TATA Chemicals - 1.177 tons bromine

Non-Indian

Albemarle Corporation - flame retardant

Chemtura - flame retardant

Israel Chemicals Limited - Bromine

Bromine Producers in India

Fire Extinguishers

Alarm systems and other systems and media

Fire Safety in Buildings

BIS also has specific standards for products (especially electrical,

electronics, wiring etc.)

Various states have their own fire safety acts. The Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, 1986 was notified by the

Government of India December,1986 and rules framed there under were in force from 2nd March, 1987 until July 2, 2010.

National Building Code 2005 (revised 2011) in which part 4 mentions the standards for fire safety for buildings.

Very recently the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) have implemented new

standards for fire extinguishers viz; IS: 15683, replacing few decade old standards

The new standards (IS: 15683) are performance based and are similar to

the standards being followed in most developed countries. The current standard IS: 15683 cover the entire range of portable fire

extinguishers making it convenient to both the manufacturers and consumers.

These products aim to drive quality products in India thus equipping the

user to effectively extinguish the fire at the incipient stage. There are no standards for BFRs and other POP flame retardants

Indian Standards and Codes

Standard for Fire Extinguishers IS: 933: 1989 Portable chemical fire extinguishers, foam type (third

revision)

IS: 934: 1989 Portable chemical fire extinguishers, soda acid type (fourth

revision)

IS: 940: 1989 Portable chemical fire extinguishers, water type (gas

cartridge) (third revision)

IS: 2171: 1985 Portable chemical fire extinguishers, Dry Powder (Cartridge

type) (third revision)

IS: 2190: 1992 Code of practice for selection, installation and maintenance

of portable first - aid fire extinguisher (third revision)

IS: 2878: 1986 Portable fire extinguishers, carbon dioxide type (second

revision)

IS: 4562: 1968 Portable chemical fire extinguishers, foam type, for marine

use IS: 4862: 1986Portable chemical fire extinguishers, for aircraft.

IS: 4947: 1985Gas cartridge for use in fire extinguishers (second revision)

1999: Standard (IS 9873 Part 2) on safety requirements for toys,

specifically concerning flammability requirements, is adopted by the Bureau

of Indian Standards (BIS).

IS 11871:1986 METHODS FOR DETERMINATION OF FLAMMABILITY AND FLAME RESISTANCE OF TEXTILE MATERIALS

IS 15589:2005/ ISO 6940:2004 TEXTILE FABRICS - BURNING BEHAVIOUR - DETERMINATION OF EASE OF IGNITION OF VERTICALLY ORIENTED SPECIMENS

IS 15590:2005 / ISO 6941:2003 TEXTILE FABRICS - BURNING BEHAVIOUR - MEASUREMENT OF FLAME SPREAD PROPERTIES OF VERTICALLY ORIENTED SPECIMENS

IS 13501:1992 TEXTILES - DETERMINATION OF FLAMMABILITY BY OXYGEN INDEX

IS 15741:2007 TEXTILES - RESISTANCE TO IGNITION OF CURTAINS

AND DRAPES – SPECIFICATION (BASED ON EN)

IS 15612:2005 TEXTILES - BURNING BEHAVIOUR OF CURTAINS AND

DRAPES

IS 15742:2007 TEXTILES - REQUIREMENTS FOR CLOTHING MADE OF

LIMITED FLAME SPREAD MATERIALS AND MATERIAL ASSEMBLIES

AFFORDING PROTECTION AGAINST HEAT AND FLAME –

SPECIFICATION (BASED ON EN)

Fire Fighting Sectional Committee, CED 22 of BIS is engaged in

formulation of Indian Standards on Fire Fighting equipments/extinguishers

using water, carbondioxide, foam, dry powder and halon as extinguishing

agents.

In view of the phasing out of halons as per Montreal Protocol, BIS has

recently published various standards on halon alternatives.

These are intended for use by the Fire brigades and other organizations.

BIS has formulated more than 100 standards on fire fighting including

standards on various type of fire tenders, fire engines, trailer pumps, high

capacity portable pumpsets etc.

China, India and Pakistan have long been suspected of receiving and disposing the bulk of the world’s obsolete computers and electronic components (Martin et al. 2004). (especially OctaBDE and DecaBDE can be found in WEEE)

Lower brominated congeners of PBDEs are particularly mobile while higher brominated congeners tend to bond to particles and exhibit lipophilic properties (Gouin and Harner, 2003).

Sediments, particularly from estuaries and lakes, are major sinks for these

contaminants in aquatic environments Concentrations of PBDEs in Asian coastal environments ranged from 0.01

to 59 ng/g d.w. and BDE 47, BDE-99 and BDE-153 were the most frequently reported congeners.

Matrix: Cetacean samples

Study Area: Asia (India , HongKong, Japan, Phillipines)

Concentrations: 6.0 ng/g lipid wt. in spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)

from India to a high value of 6000 ng/g lipid wt. in Indo-Pacific

humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) from Hong Kong

Much lower levels were obtained in Phillipines and India

as compared to HK and Japan

Quantification was performed using a GC-MSD (EI-SIM).

BDE 47 was the major component

(Source: Kajiwara et al. 2006 (Chemosphere 64 (2006)

Matrix : Human Milk samples from India Concentrations: 0.18 and 3.8 ng/g lipidwt. (mean: 1.4 ng/g lipid wt.) Hazard quotients (HQs) of PCBs and PBDEs were estimated for infant health risk, which exceeded the threshold value (HQ>1) of PCBs, indicating the potential risk for infants in the specific site.

•Gnanasekaran Devanathan et al. Environment International 39 (2012) 87–95

Matrix: Core sediment samples (<63 microm) covering

Study Area: Seven sites in Sundarban mangrove wetland (India)

Concentrations: 0.08 to 29.03 ng/g, indicating moderate to low contamination

12 congeners were analysed using GC–Ms/Ms

BDE 47(Tetra BDE) was found in all samples followed by hexabromodiphenyl

ether BDE-154,

total load trends were

BDE 47 > 99 > 100 > 154

(Source: Andrea Binelli et al. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54 (2007)

Matrix: Air (Passive Atmospheric Sampling) in Urban, Rural, and Wetland Sites along the Coastal Length of India

Concentrations: Derived air concentrations ranged as follows: sum of 9 PBDE congeners, 1-181 pg/m3.

Shimadzu QP2000 GC MS was used for analysis. BDE- 47 (tetra BDE) and BDE-85 (penta BDE) dominated the congener

pattern, contributing ca. 77% to the overall Σ9PBDE burden. Higher levels of DE-85 (penta BDE) than BDE-47 in all the sites except at

one possibly be due to photolysis of deca-BDE in the tropical atmosphere. Degradation of deca-BDE as a solid film by sunlight produced no PBDE

congeners with less than five bromine atoms.

(Source: Ganzhang et al. Environmental Science and Tech. 42, 2008)

Plastic fragments, plastic powders and floor dust were sampled from three areas in New Delhi. 5mg/kg dw of PBDEs was obtained in plastic fragments whereas no PBDEs were detected in the other two samples tested

Samples of dust collected from two battery dismantling workshops in New

Delhi showed contamination with toxic metals and PCBs . However, PBDEs were not detected in the samples

Similarly three of the four street dust samples showed no PBDEs however

PCBs were detected Bottom ashes , New Delhi showed 23mg/kg (All BDE) (Brigden et al. 2005) (Source: Green Peace Report 2004) No study on direct product analysis has been documented/done in India The major source of contamination through PBDEs would be e-waste

recycling/dumping sites and municipal waste dumping sites Deca-BDE needs to be looked in for possible degradation pathways which

lead to formation of the listed POPs like penta BDE