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The flame retardant HBCD, which was mainly used in polystyrene insulation boards, has been banned since March 2016. But trouble looms from the many millions of cubic meters of HBCD-containing insulation material that have already been installed in Germany.

The flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) has been largely banned from trade and use in the EU since spring 2016. For a long time, HBCD was the economically most important flame retardant for polystyrene insulation materials - accordingly, there are still transitional rules for insulation materials made of expanded or extruded polystyrene (EPS/XPS).

While the industry in Germany has largely replaced HBCD with allegedly less problematic flame retardants since the end of 2014, homeowners in Germany are now threatened with considerable costs when converting their buildings and removing insulation materials containing HBCD: This is because these will be classified as "hazardous waste" from October 2016 and can only be disposed of at great expense in special waste incineration plants or plants specially approved for this purpose. According to estimates by the Federal Environment Agency, "considerable disposal costs" are to be expected for homeowners.

How can a consumer tell if a polystyrene insulation material contains HBCD?

Since HBCD has already been identified as a substance of very high concern under the REACH Regulation since 2008, the manufacturer and also the distributor must provide information on the use of the substance in all articles. An online form from the Federal Environment Agency can be used to ask the manufacturer, dealer or importer whether HBCD has been used as a flame retardant. In addition, since 2011, the Construction Products Regulation has also required the information to be provided to end users with the declaration of performance for the CE mark. However, for all polystyrene insulation boards used in the past, it must be assumed that they contain HBCD.

In the brochure "Frequently asked questions and answers on hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) - Answers to frequently asked questions".
of the Federal Environment Agency of July 2016 provides further explanations: www.umweltbundesamt.de/...oekologische-kriterien-fuer

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Building Biology, DE-News, New books and studies, Thermal insulation