Like other brominated flame retardants, PBDEs have been used in a wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams,[1] and textiles.

The number of isomers for mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta-, octa-, nona-, and decabromodiphenyl ethers are 3, 12, 24, 42, 46, 42, 24, 12, 3 and 1, respectively.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can be released into the environment where they are used or produced, possibly entering air, water, soil or the human digestive system when consumed, inhaled or via the skin.

[11][12] PBDE-contaminated foods, particularly those high in fat content, such as fatty meats or fish, are possible sources of exposure.

[11] Particularly for the potential effects of PBDEs on the developing fetus, research has focused on the health status of mothers and gestational age of the infant.

[15] Increasing environmental concentrations and changing distributions of PBDEs in sediments of the Clyde River Estuary in Scotland, UK have been assessed.

[16] Analysis of six sediment cores each of 1 m depth from Glasgow city to Greenock revealed that total concentrations increased toward the river bed surface (0–10 cm).

[20][21] In June 2008, the U.S. EPA set a safe daily exposure level ranging from 0.1 to 7 μg/kg body weight per day for the four most common PBDE congeners.

[24] The State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection has restrictions on PBDEs, and in 2008, the legislature passed a bill phasing out the use of decaBDE.

[7]: 10 [26] In November 2024, the EPA added decaBDE to the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit release into water during manufacturing, processing or distribution in commerce of decaBDE and decaBDE-containing products, and a phase-out of processing and distribution of wire and cable insulation containing decaDBE for nuclear power facilities.

"[28] The European Union decided to ban the use of two classes of flame retardants, in particular, PBDEs and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) in electric and electronic devices.

The reference materials were custom-made to contain all relevant PBDEs and PBBs at levels close to the legal limit.

[4][30] Major decaBDE producers have switched to manufacturing decabromodiphenyl ethane, a structurally related compound that has also come under suspicion as an environmental pollutant.