Flame retardants: Exposure, biomarkers, and health risks

Abstract

Flame retardants have been extensively used in various fields of production and daily life, such as aerospace, transportation, and interior decoration, to ensure fire safety. They are mainly divided into inorganic, halogenated organic, nitrogen-containing, and phosphorus-containing compounds, among which, brominated flame retardants and organophosphorous flame retardants are the most commonly used flame retardants. However, with reports toward adverse effects of flame retardants on human being gradually increasing, more and more attention has been paid to the health risks caused by the use of flame retardants. This chapter introduces the exposure of flame retardants to environment and human, as well as sensitive biomarkers of flame retardants, and emphatically analyzes the toxic effects of flame retardants on health risks including endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, reproductive inability, immunotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, lung toxicity, carcinogenesis, preterm birth, developmental retardation, and children behavioral problems.