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Manufacturers defend flame retardants in the US Senate
Representatives of the leading producers of brominated flame retardants responded to questioning by US senators in Washington DC on 24 July. The hearing before the Committee on Environment and Public Works followed allegations published by the Chicago Tribune that the flame retardants industry has misled the public and legislators about fire safety and health and safety issues. Marshall Moore, director of
technology, advocacy and marketing at Chemtura, said: “Flame retardants have received a significant amount of attention in recent months – some of which has been inaccurate and misleading”. He added “Chemtura stands by its products. We have acted proactively with the Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies not only to fully comply with chemical management
(ACC) asking it to expel Chemtura, Albemarle and ICL from its membership. The legislators claim that the companies have acted unethically and do not confirm to the ACC’s Responsible Care programme. They highlight the compa-
The debate about fire retardants has reached Capitol Hill
regulations, but also to lead the industry in the introduction of greener alternatives.” William Rawson of legal firm Lathan & Watkins represented the two other leading producers of bromi- nated flame retardants, Albermarle and ICL. His testimony covered the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), acknowledging the need for amendments, but warning against steps that could create
“enormous” regulatory burdens. Moore’s written statement
can be read in full at
http://bit.ly/FRstatement1, while Rawson’s testimony is at
http://bit.ly/FRstatement2. You can view a video of the full hearing before the committee at
http://bit.ly/FRvideo1. l Following the Chicago Tribune reports, 21 state legislators have written to the American Chemistry Council
nies’ formation of a “front group”, called the Citizens for Fire Safety (
www.cffsi.org), to counter the opposition to flame retardants. The three flame retardant manufacturers have told the Chicago Tribune that they are now reviewing their involvement in the organisation. The ACC responded by
saying “Albemarle, Chemtura and ICL Industrial Products have great confidence in their chemistries, supported by sub- stantial testing and studies on safety and efficacy”. You can read the legislators’ letter at
http://bit.ly/ACCrequest, while the ACC’s response is at
http://bit.ly/ACCreply.
Evonik invests in its crosslinking additives
Evonik’s new capacity will meet growing demand from the photovoltaics industry
Evonik is increasing capacity for its TAC and Taicros crosslinking additives for plastics and rubber at its Wesseling site in Germany. Production is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of next year. The company says that the
increased capacity will help it meet growing demands from the photovoltaics market and the increasingly stringent quality requirements of
www.compoundingworld.com
manufacturers in this sector. Crosslinking additives are
used to improve the quality of the encapsulation films that protect photovoltaic cells, particularly in regard to ageing and colour stability, while increasing the transparency of the films. The boosters also reduce the cure time of the EVA films, thus increasing the efficiency of the production process. ❙
www.evonik.com
August 2012 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 5
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