SYNOPSISPhotodegradation of incombustible polymer materials [high-density (HD) and low-density (LD) polyethylene (PE) containing 0.5 to 2.0 phr of decabromodiphenyl ether (DBDE) or tetrabromobisphenol A (TBA) as a flame retardant] were studied using an Okazaki Large Spectrograph (OLS). Samples were irradiated in air a t 23°C with monochromatic light of wavelengths at 260, 280, 300, 320, 340, and 360 nm. Ultraviolet and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were taken to estimate the chemical changes caused by photoirradiation. Molecular weight change was followed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. It was found that the photostability of P E samples was reduced by the addition of flame retardants. The threshold wavelengths of photodegradation are 320 nm and 360 nm for PE-TBA samples and PE-DBDE samples, respectively. Main-chain scission is favored when the irradiation was carried out with the light of wavelength 300 nm for HDPE-DBDE and HDPE-TBA samples. The most effective irradiation wavelengths for crosslinking are found to be 300 nm and 280 nm for LDPE-DBDE and LDPE-TBA samples, respectively. 0 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.