Abstract
A number of commercial and candidate flame retardants were studied with regard to their toxicity to goldfish, inhibition of cholinesterase, inhibition of acetyl choline binding to its receptor and insecticidal properties. Several of the flame retardants were notably toxic to fish. Some of the compounds showed modest inhibition of cholinesterase and/or microsomal oxidases, but none inhibited acetyl choline receptor binding. Whereas several of the flame retardants showed little or no insecticidal properties when added alone to a housefly diet, piperonyl butoxide greatly synergised their toxicity to houseflies.