Fire Hazard Comparison of Fire-Retarded and Non-Fire-Retarded Products

摘要

A test program was conducted for the Fire Retardant Chemicals Association to quantify the effects of fire retardant chemicals on total fire hazard. Five different types of products, each made from a different type of plastic were used. The products were made up in analogous fire-retardant (FR) and non-retarded variants (NFR). Cone Calorimeter, Furniture Calorimeter, and NBS combustion toxicity tests were run on the individual products. The test results showed very substantial improvements for the FR products in the areas of increased occupant escape time and decreased production of heat and toxic gas species. The production of smoke was unchanged with the FR products, compared to the NFR ones. It was specifically demonstrated that the overall hazard was reduced, and that reduced burning rates were not obtained at the expense of increasing the hazard due to combustion toxicity. Most of the combustion product effects could be accounted for by the normal gases monitored, and it was also shown that none of the products, either FR or NFR, constituted hazards due to extreme toxic potency.