Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as additives in many kinds of plastics and polymers to reduce the flammability or the risk of fires in many consumer products. Polymer-based products may contain as much as 30% PBDEs by weight. Three technical or commercial PBDE products or mixtures (i.e., penta-BDE, octa-BDE, and deca-BDE which mostly contain the penta-, octa-, and deca-BDE congeners, respectively, with some other PBDE congeners) have been manufactured since the 1970s. However, the penta-BDE and octa-BDE products were banned in 2009 after the inclusion of the tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and hepta-BDEs in the list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention, while the commercial deca-BDE product is being considered for regulation in 2017.
