Screening Methods for Agent Compatibility with People, Materials, and the Environment

摘要

A workshop on fire suppressant agent compatibility with people, materials and the environment was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology on November 14 and 15, 1997, which was attended by approximately 40 representatives from government, academia, and industry. The participants were asked to assess currently used screening methods for each of the following properties of candidate fire suppressants: environmental impact (including ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, and atmospheric lifetime); materials compatibility (including long-term storage stability, the interaction of the agent with metals, gaskets and lubricants, and the compatibility of the agent and its combustion by-products with potentially exposed weapons systems); and toxicity (including acute, genetic, subchronic, developmental, and cardiac sensitization). For each property, the workshop participants compared currently used measurement methods and identified the best method for future use in screening candidates for the next generation of fire suppressants. Each of these 'best current' methods was evaluated and given one of the following designations: acceptable as is, acceptable with modifications, or unacceptable. At the conclusion of the workshop, a consensus screening method was advanced for each property.