Dien NT.; Hirai Y.; Sakai S. (2016) Presented at Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Combustion, Incineration/Pyrolysis, Emission and Climate Change (9th i-CIPEC), Kyoto, Japan, September 22, 2016
This study shows how the estimation of the in-use stock of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE, mainly deca-BDE) can help in drafting the policy control measures for the reduction and depletion of PBDEs in society. The in-use stocks of PBDEs in Japan have been estimated using a population balance model. The estimation is based on the domestic demand of PBDEs and the assumed survival rate of these products. Two scenarios regarding the future regulation of commercial deca-BDE have been considered, namely, (1) the use of deca-BDE continues unchanged; and (2) deca-BDE is discontinued after 2020. Results indicate that the in-use stock of products containing deca-BDE was at 28,000 tons in 2013 and would be at 1,900 tons in 2040, which provides an ongoing source of deca-BDE emission to the environment if case 1 were to be regulated. On the other hand, most of the deca-BDE would be phased out by 2040 if case 2 were to be regulated. Therefore, implementing policy measures in the near future is important to reduce the emission of deca-BDE, even though the time lag in seeing a significant impact is nearly a decade.