Workshop: Responsible Disposal of Flame Retarded Foam and Plastic: Developing the Basic Science for Improved Separation and Destruction; VA Tech Center,Arlington,VA, June 2015

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The California flammability standard TB117-2013 was recently updated (effective Jan. 1, 2014) to increase fire safety without the need for flame retardant chemicals. Consequently, new furniture and other consumer products in North America will increasingly be produced without flame retardants. However, hundreds of millions of pieces of furniture and other products in current use contain flame retardant chemicals, many of which have been banned or removed from production due to toxicity concerns. Also, most electronic devices contain fire retardant chemicals in their plastic casings. There is a need to determine how to responsibly dispose of billions of pounds of foam and plastic treated with chemical flame retardants. These materials should be properly disposed of rather than recycled into other products or landfilled, which can result in continued human and environmental exposure. The major objective of the workshop is to bring together research teams of scientists and engineers with shared interests and complementary expertise to provide understanding of the research knowledge gaps needed for improved and innovative processes to separate flame retardants from polyurethane foam and plastic and then to destroy the harmful flame retardants. A report (written as a review article for a peer-reviewed journal) to be published in a timely manner would document the current research discussed and future directions.