NEWS
Solutions for new transport fire challenges
pinfa has published a 50-page brochure detailing FR applications for materials in tomorrow’s transport vehicles: airplanes, ships, trains, buses, and cars.
READ MOREEU consultation on digital chemical labelling
Public and stakeholder questionnaire on how to provide online information, via labels, to consumers for chemical products such as, detergents, fertilisers and “chemical products, such as glues, paints, solvents, lamp oils”.
READ MOREGeneral Product Safety Directive update
The Commission proposal centres on online sales, enforcement and recalls, and new technologies: fire is not mentioned. The General Product Safety Directive (GPSD 2001/95) will become a “Regulation”, making it more directly applicable.
READ MOREEU consultation on POPs in recycling
Proposed “POP” Regulation update will reduce limits for certain chlorinated and certain FRs in recycled wastes. Consultation is open to 23rd December 2021.
READ MORECanada consultation on P-ester FRs
Screening risk assessment proposes regulatory action on TEP and IPP (aryl organophosphate FRs) in foams. The draft screening assessment, open for comment and for input of information to 5th January 2022, covers nine aryl organophosphate (phosphate ester) PIN FRs and one brominated FRs
READ MOREUL points to increasing home fire risks
Underwriters Laboratories expert says US fire deaths are increasing with changing design and content of homes.
READ MORENFPA US Fire Loss Report 2020
Numbers of fires and of fire casualties in the USA are approximately stable since around 2010, with some 1.4 million fires, 3 500 civilian fire deaths, 5 200 reported civilian fire injuries and nearly US$22 billion fire damage in 2020.
READ MOREInsurers cautious on building cladding
One third of UK underwriters are willing to cover fire safety risks in building works to replace defective cladding, and nearly all of the remaining two thirds offer only partial coverage
READ MORENew UK tax to fund cladding fire safety
A new 4% yearly tax property developers’ profits > 25 M£ will fund building fire safety remediation for the coming decade.
READ MOREE-scooters banned for fire risks
Transport for London (TfL) has banned electric scooters on buses and the underground because of fire risks for batteries. This follows a fire on a tube train (Parsons Green, 1/11/21), which caused the train to be evacuated and where the scooter continued to burn after removing it onto the platform, and a fire in a scooter in lost property.
READ MORESilsesquioxane synergist for PIN FR
1% POSS significantly improved fire performance achieved by a phosphorus – nitrogen intumescent FR in polypropylene. Nano- octavinyl POSS (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) was supplied by Zhengzhou Alfa.
READ MOREFlame retardants for battery electrolytes
Flame retardants can reduce the fire risk of the liquid carbonate-based electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries. Two PIN flame retardants (phenoxycylophosphazene, melamine phosphate) and tris (2-chloropropyl) phosphate were tested in a battery electrolyte consisting of 1M LiPF6 dissolved in 1:1:1 ethylene carbonate – dimethyl carbonate – diethyl carbonate.
READ MORENovel PIN additives reduce smoke toxicity
Carbon microspheres modified with molybdenum reduced smoke and carbon monoxide emission from TPU polyurethane.
READ MOREPIN FRs showed effective in particle board
An ATH – APP based PIN FR system reduced heat loss and smoke emission from wood – polyester particleboard. The particleboard was produced by compression molding of sawdust with polyester resin, after treating the sawdust with sodium hydroxide to improve compatibility.
READ MORERecycled PIN FRs from flue gas cleaning
Magnesium and aluminium minerals from coal power plant flue gas scrubbing can be recycled as PIN flame retardants. The 1 400 MW coal power plant, Nantong, Jiangsu, China, operates lime/gypsum flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), with an objective of zero liquid discharge.
READ MOREPIN FRs reduce smoke and toxicity
APP with bio-based cobalt phytate reduce heat release, smoke production, density and toxicity from polyurethane foam. The recognised workhorse PIN flame retardant, ammonium polyphosphate (APP) was dosed at 33% loading in polyurethane rigid foam during foaming reaction, and at 27% with 6% cobalt phytate (a commercially available metal salt of bio-sourced phytate, a phosphorus-rich molecule found in plant seeds).
READ MOREStudy suggests PBDEs fed to mother mice can cause brain modifications in offspring
Penta-BDE was fed to mother mice at 0.4 mg/kg body weight per day (orders of magnitude higher than general human population exposure). PBDEs were transferred to offspring both in utero and in lactatio...
READ MORELeaching of FRs from recycled ABS plastic in birds’ digestive fluids
Recycled ABS was obtained from a plastic producer in China. Levels of individual FRs analysed in the ABS were highest for BTBPE at 1.8 mg/kg, with DecaBDE (BDE 209), several other brominated FRs and T...
READ MOREpinfa launches new report on innovative and sustainable flame retardant solutions for transportation
Brussels 30 November – Designers, manufacturers and operators of different forms of transportation are constantly trying to strike the right balance to meet energy reduction requirements as well as...
READ MOREEuropean Fire Safety Week meets FRiP
pinfa online worldwide event, on fire safety of green energies, from AMI Fire Resistance in Plastics Düsseldorf, 1st December 2021, 16h – 17h30 CET. Speakers will include the US National Fire Prote...
READ MORELuna: new pinfa-na new member
Innovative fibre-optics and communications solutions, from R&D to product, for, defense, health care, energy … Luna was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, USA, and has today 420 staff at twelve locations worldwide.
READ MORESuccess of pinfa-NA formulators’ training
The pinfa-NA - SPE formulators’ training engaged around 90 participants, with strong interest in PIN FR developments. Led by plastics and compounding expert Roger Avakian, the four online sessions (4 x 2 hours), co-organised by pinfa North America and SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers) in June 2021, addressed in depth fire behaviour of materials and fire safety tests, non-halogenated flame retardant chemistry, flame retardant selection for different polymers, (in particular formulation of elastomers, thermosets, textiles, coatings), new developments and sustainability.
READ MOREEU consultation on photovoltaics
pinfa underlined that specific fire safety risks of PV should be considered in EU Ecodesign, GPP and Ecolabel criteria. An EU Commission consultation on the ‘roadmap’ for environmental regulation of photovoltaics closed 28th October 2021.
READ MOREBatteries Regulation in EU Parliament
pinfa, via Cefic, has proposed amendments to include fire safety and toxicity in requirements for batteries sold in Europe, applicable to industrial and > 2 kWh vehicle batteries. The Batteries Regulation is currently under discussion in the European Parliament and Council (see pinfa Newsletter n°121).
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