Responsible Disposal Research for Flame Retarded Plastic and Polyurethane Foam

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hundreds of millions of pounds of foam and plastic treated with harmful chemical flame retardants are found in furniture, electronics, and other products in current use. These flame retarded products may remain in use for years to come and most will end up in landfills. Many of flame retardants are persistent organic pollutants that will break down on a timescale longer than the expected life of current landfills. Products containing flame retardants that have been banned or shown to be harmful should be properly disposed of rather than recycled into other products or landfilled, which can result in continued human and environmental exposure. Developing technologies and strategies for the responsible disposal of consumer products treated with flame retardants provides an important opportunity to improve the health of our population and our ecosystems. To develop research solutions to solve this problem, we propose to hold a two day conference with the following specific aims: Specific Aim #1: Bring together research scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines with industry, policy, nonprofit environmental groups, and waste management experts with expertise in waste disposal techniques. Specific Aim #2: Identify knowledge gaps and propose scientific research to develop responsible disposal solutions for flame-retarded foams and plastics. Specific Aim #3: Prepare and submit a review article for a peer-reviewed journal that documents research needs and directions identified in Specific Aim #2.