Environmental risks of HBCDD from construction and demolition waste: a contemporary and future issue

Abstract

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), as one of the most widely used brominated flame retardants (BFRs), is of great concern globally because of its persistence in the environment and negative impacts on humans and animals. HBCDD has been mainly used in flame-retarded expanded (EPS) and extruded (XPS) polystyrene foams for insulation in the construction industry. Most of these products will become a part of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste at the end of their life cycle (30-50 years) which is typically disposed of into landfills or incineration. However, the recycling of this material takes quite a low share compared with landfill and incineration. Consequently, high environmental risks will exist in these disposal approaches due to the HBCDD in C&D waste. Currently, XPS or EPS products containing HBCDD in the construction industry have not reached the end of their life cycle in most countries. Relatively little attention has been paid to this emergency issue by either the government or public. Furthermore, C&D waste is most likely disposed of by direct dumping, simple stacking, or open burning in developing countries. Therefore, this paper highlights the global environmental risks of HBCDD from C&D waste. Areas of research for key problems of HBCDD contained in C&D waste are suggested to help control and finally eliminate the impact.

Rethinking environmental LCA life stages for transport infrastructure to facilitate holistic assessment

“…Recently, the desire to protect old growth trees has led to alignment changes for High Speed 2 in the United Kingdom (Cornet, Dudley, & Banister, 2018); Stuttgart 2, a railway station expansion in Germany, provoked intense protests in part due to proposed tree clearing (Nagel & Satoh, 2018). The construction of highways through urban areas has a history of requiring major demolition of existing neighborhoods with significant negative impacts (DiMento, 2009;Issel, 1999), including, on local air quality and greenhouse gas emissions (Brown, Barrett, Robinson, & Potgieter-Vermaak, 2015;Nie et al, 2015;Wang et al, 2016 As illustrated in Tables 1 and 2, some LCAs already include demolition as part of the construction impacts and/or land clearing needs. The field requires standardization of how these impacts are incorporated, to (a) avoid double counting the end of life at both the end of the last project and the start of the new one, and (b) ensure appropriate counting of impacts of demolition and disposal, whether land is already developed (occupied by infrastructure or buildings) or undeveloped (e.g., forest, rural, or parks).…”

Construction and demolition waste management: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health

“…As one of the most widely used brominated flame retardants, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), is mainly used in expanded polystyrene insulation, an increasingly prevalent component of CDW (Nie et al, 2015). In 2011 production was 31,000 tonnes worldwide;…”

“…While concentrations of brominated flame retardants and PCBs in leachate and groundwater were not identified in proximity to CDW activities in this study, the concentrations identified in Table 25 provide an indication that these substances exist in considerable quantity. As Nie et al (2015) point out, the prevalence of these substances and their persistence in the value chain means that considerable attention will need to be paid toward managing these products safely in the future, particularly when it comes to land disposal. Furthermore, assuming the recycling of CDW becomes more common in the coming decades, there will be a greater need to identify products containing PCDDs, HBCDs, PBDEs and PCBs and divert them to other forms of treatment for complete destruction.…”

“…The combustible fraction of CDW is a potential source of fuel, which in LIMICs may be utilised by those engaged in demolition or construction activities. If fuel isn't required, then alongside dumping and storage, combustion is a common disposal option (Nie et al, 2015) as it can rapidly reduce the volume and mass of waste, discharging the problem to the atmosphere. The prevalence of the activity isn't well reported, but surveys of Nigerian construction workers indicate 2.9% (n=243) (Ogunmakinde et al, 2019), and 16% (n=75) (Wahab and Lawal, 2011) of construction practitioners engaged in open burning activities as a method of disposal.…”

Asbestos Exposure in Demolition: An Analysis of Abatement Practices and Alternatives to Demolition

“…There are numerous hazards that people can be exposed to during demolition, such as heavy metals that stay in the soil (Gao et al, 2015) and materials such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). These hazards have negative impacts on the health of humans and other animals that aren't protected from demolition waste (Nie et al, 2015). The debris from these materials can be found in the soil of the property where the home was demolished and can also end up in landfills which then leach into groundwater due to inadequate liners (Powell et al, 2015).…”