English 
In the development process of the application of flame retardants to electrical products, a very cautionary event occurred. Panasonic, as the world's leading appliance manufacturer, has tried to meet the halogen-free demand in the market. In the production process of its refrigerator products, the decision was made to replace brominated flame retardants with red phosphorus flame retardants.
However, the move has had serious unintended consequences. In subsequent use, these refrigerators have been exposed to significant fire hazards. This hidden danger is like a bomb that may detonate at any time, posing a great threat to the life and property safety of consumers. To avoid disaster, Panasonic had to take emergency measures and recall as many as 360,000 refrigerators that year.
During the post-recall treatment process, Panasonic replaced the relevant parts, and it is worth noting that bromine flame retardants were re-used in these newly replaced parts. This dramatic shift is like a wake-up call for the entire industry. The incident quickly attracted widespread attention in the industry, prompting all parties to re-examine halogen-free flame retardants and brominated flame retardants.
This case highlights an important fact that brominated flame retardants have an irreplaceable role in some specific application scenarios. It reminds the entire industry that when choosing flame retardants, it cannot just blindly follow the market trend, but needs to fully consider the actual use of the product environment and safety needs to ensure that every decision can stand the test of practice.
