Analysis of flame retardants

Brominated flame retardants in focus of the EFSA

The EFSA published its first scientific opinions on brominated flame retardants between 2006 and 2012. In these opinions, EFSA identified data gaps and therefore, in Recommendation 2014/118/EU, Member States were asked to collect data on the occurrence of certain BFRs in food in 2014 and 2015.

Taking into account these new data on the presence of BFRs in food and all newly available scientific information, EFSA is currently working on an update of EFSA's existing scientific opinions on brominated flame retardants.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)

Following a public consultation on the health risks associated with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in food . EFSA published a scientific opinion on this topic in January 2024. The EFSA did not focus on all 209 possible congeners of this group of substances, but on 10 selected PBDEs: BDE-28, -47, -49, -99, -100, -138, -153, -154, -183 and -209.

The main contents of this scientific opinion are:

• The current dietary exposure of the European population to PBDEs is likely to be hazardous to health.
• Consumption of meat and meat products and fish and seafood contributed most to dietary exposure to BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -183 and -209.
• For BDE-49, -138 and -154, the main food category contributing to exposure was animal and vegetable oils and fats and their primary derivatives.
• Both, formula-fed and breastfed infants, ingest PBDEs through food.
• In particular for children, contact via dust and skin is an additional source of exposure to PBDEs.

With regard to the presence of PBDEs in food, EFSA recommends:

• As many products containing PBDEs are still in use and their end-of-life disposal may lead to environmental contamination and consequently to their presence in food, the monitoring of PBDEs should be continued using more sensitive analytical methods, including the determination of congeners other than the 10 PBDEs mentioned above.
• More data on the presence of PBDEs in infant formula should be collected using more sensitive analytical methods in order to allow a more robust exposure assessment for formula-fed infants.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)

In 2021, the EFSA published a scientific opinion on hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCD) in food. The main contents of this opinion are:

• Fish meat, eggs, meat from livestock and poultry are the main contributors to dietary exposure to HBCD.
• The current dietary exposure to HBCD in European countries appears to be mostly harmless to health.
• Breastfed infants can ingest high levels of HBCD through breast milk. In this case, the EFSA concludes that the exposure could pose a health risk. However, the EFSA also notes that more data on HBCD levels in breast milk are needed to allow a more robust exposure assessment.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)

In March 2024, the EFSA launched a public consultation on the health risks associated with tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and its derivatives in food.

The final opinion has not yet been published. According to the current status (changes cannot be ruled out), the main contents relate to the following topics:

• Occurrence of TBBPA in food: Fish and seafood, meat and meat products as well as milk and dairy products are reported as the main contributors to human dietary exposure.
• The CONTAM Panel considers it appropriate to establish a tolerable daily intake: 0.7 µg/kg body weight per day.
• Taking into account the uncertainties affecting the assessment, the CONTAM Panel concluded with 90-95% confidence that current dietary exposure to TBBPA does not pose a health problem for any of the population groups studied.

There were insufficient data on the toxicity of the TBBPA derivatives to derive reference values or to allow a comparison with TBBPA that would allow assignment to an assessment group for the purpose of a combined risk assessment.