Halogen

1. Core reasons for control
Combustion poses a great hazard
When materials containing halogens (such as plastics containing bromine flame retardants) burn, they release highly toxic gases such as dioxins, furans, and hydrogen halides, which not only pollute the environment but also pose a threat to human respiratory health
The system and immune system can cause severe damage, even leading to cancer.
Difficult to degrade naturally
Most halogen-containing organic compounds (such as polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are highly persistent in the environment, prone to bioaccumulation through the food chain, and pose a threat to ecosystems.
2. Main application scenarios and key control points
Halogen compounds have been widely used due to their excellent performance, and current control focuses on the following categories:
Halogen type  Common application  Regulatory focus
Chlorine: PVC plastic, chlorine-containing solvents, bleach; polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorine-containing flame retardants; dioxins generated from waste incineration
Bromine: Brominated flame retardants (such as PBDE and PBB), circuit boards, plastic casings. Brominated flame retardants added to electronic and electrical appliances are the focus of control under standards such as RoHS
Fluorine, fluorine-containing polymers (such as Teflon), and refrigerants, as well as some fluorine-containing compounds (such as PFAS), all fall under the control of POPs
Iodine: Disinfectant, pharmaceutical raw material. It is less commonly used in industrial products and subject to relatively loose regulatory requirements
3. Mainstream regulatory standards and limits
Currently, there is no unified global mandatory halogen standard, and most regulations are industry norms or customer requirements. Common control requirements are as follows:
Electronic and electrical industry
General industry requirements: bromine (Br) content ≤900ppm, chlorine (Cl) content ≤900ppm, total bromine + chlorine content ≤1500ppm.
Relevant standards: Although the RoHS directive does not directly restrict halogens, it restricts the use of brominated flame retardants (PBB, PBDE); many international brands (such as Apple, Samsung)
Halogen limit requirements will be included in the procurement specifications.
Wire and cable industry
The EU environmental protection directives, such as the CPR regulation, impose clear restrictions on the halogen content of cables used in construction, requiring low smoke zero halogen (LSZH) materials that produce low smoke density during combustion
No hydrogen halide released.
other industries
The textile and packaging industries will limit the use of chlorine-based bleaches and halogen-based preservatives to comply with environmental and safety requirements.
4. Relevance to the standards/substances you previously focused on
Relationship with RoHS/REACH: PBB and PBDE restricted by RoHS belong to brominated halogen compounds; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are included in the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) under REACH
Halogenated substances such as short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCP).
Relationship with PFAS/POPs: PFAS belong to fluorinated halogen compounds, and some PFAS (such as PFOS) are also included in the POPs control list; Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the POPs
Both dioxin and furans are chlorine-containing halogen compounds.