Ammonium Polyphosphate-An Overview with Respect to Its Properties, Environmental and Toxicological Aspects

Most intumescent flame retardants have an environmentally friendly profile, which means they pose no harm to environment, do not bio-accumulate in biota and have low toxicological impact on human health, and none of the intumescent flame retardants are considered to be PBT or vPvB. However, a wide range of properties with regard to environment and toxicological aspects of the intumescent flame retardants are not on hand, whose detailed properties should be understood so that otherwise possible future environmental or toxicological harm should be prevented. As a commonly used component in intumescent flame retardants, more attention should be paid to the properties of environmental and toxicological aspects of ammonium polyphosphate (APP). This paper is an investigation with purpose to collect and assess environmental and toxicological data on ammonium polyphosphate in current industrial use, and with purpose to inspire further scientific and public health attentions for APP.