Protection fire retardants

Fire pictures Fire protection Fire-rated laminates Fire retardancy Fire retardant... 

The Fire Tests for Flame Resistant Textiles and Films, issued by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) ia 1989, is the method most used by iadustrial fire-retardant finishers (ca 1993) (50). It has been approved by the American National Standards Institute. 

Approximately 5% of the U.S. consumption of is in agriculture. Boron is a necessary trace nutrient for plants and is added in small quantities to a number of fertilizers. Borates are also used in crop sprays for fast rehef of boron deficiency. Borates, when apphed at relatively high concentration, act as nonselective herbicides. Small quantities of borates are used in the manufacture of alloys and refractories (qv). Molten borates readily dissolve other metal oxides usage as a flux in metallurgy is an important apphcation. Other important small volume apphcations for borates are in fire retardants for both plastics and ceUulosic materials, in hydrocarbon fuels for fungus control, and in automotive antifreeze for corrosion control (see Corrosion and corrosion inhibitors). Borates are used as neutron absorbers in nuclear reactors. Several borates, which are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can be used for insecticidal purposes, eg, TIM-BOR. 

Health Hazards Information - Recommended Personal Protective Equipment Rubber or plastic gloves face shield respirator fire-retardant clothing Symptoms Following Exposure Contact with eyes causes caustic irritation or burn. In contact with skin lithium react with body moisture to cause chemical burns foil, ribbon, and wire react relatively slowly General Treatment for Exposure EYES or SKIN flush with water and treat with boric acid Toxicity by Inhalation (ThresholdUmit Value) Data not available Short-Term Inhalation Limits Data not available Toxicity by Ingestion Data not available Late Toxicity Data not available Vapor (Gas) Irritant Characteristics Data not available Liquid or Solid Irritant Characteristics Data not available Odor Threshold Data not available. 

Wear protective clothing appropriate to fee work, e.g. leather gloves, fire-retardant overalls, safety shoes or boots and eye protection. 

Aluminium hydroxide is essentially non-toxic, but does require high addition levels to be effective. As a result, the physical properties of the compound usually suffer. Its fire retardancy action results from the endothermic reaction which releases water under fire conditions and produces a protective char . The endothermic reaction draws heat from the rubber/filler mass and thus reduces the thermal decomposition rate. The water release dilutes the available fuel supply, cooling the rubber surface and mass. 

For arc furnace worker safety, high power electrical systems require proper design and precautions, and handling of molten materials requires a minimum of fire-retardant clothing and often dust masks. Water must be prevented from coming in contact with the melt. Furthermore, since open-arc furnace noise levels commonly exceed 100 dB A, hearing protection is a necessity. Noise is normally not a problem with smelting furnaces. 

Some of tlie salts of bismuth are used in medicines for the relief of digestive disorders because of the smooth, protective coating the compounds impart to imtated mucous membranes. Like barium, bismuth also is used as an aid in x-ray diagnostic procedures because of its opacity to x-rays. At one time, certain bismuth compounds were used in the treatment of syphilis. Bismuth oxychloride, which is pcarlcsccnt, has found use in cosmetics, imparting a frosty appearance to nail polish, eye shadow, and lipstick, but may be subject to increasing controls. Bismuth phosphomolybdate has been used as a catalyst in the production of acrylonitrile for use in synthetic fibers and paints. Bismuth oxide and subcarbonate are used as fire retardants for plastics. 

Perfluoroalkyl compounds have been manufactured since the 1950s.The total production of fluorinated surfactants (anionic, cationic and neutral) was 2001 in 1979, whereas in 2000 the total production of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) alone was nearly 3000t (Shoeib et al., 2004). Together with PFOA (perfluoroocta-noic acid), PFOS is used in refrigerants, surfactants, fire retardants, stain-resistant coatings for fabrics, carpets and paper and insecticides. Surface treatments, such as protection of clothing and carpets constitute the largest volume of PFOS production (Moriwaki, Takata and Arakawa, 2003). PFOA as well is present in several... 

If these two features were better known -- that ordinary paints as applied to ordinary construction do not constitute an additional hazard and that special paints can be used to provide an extra measure of protection at critical points by retarding the initial rate of spread of fire -- the proper climate of public opinion would prevail that would ensure the further development and use of true fire-retardant paints. 

Fire-retardant paint is a surface coating or impregnation that will impart a substantial degree of protection from flame or fire to the material to which it is applied. 

Paint compounds which do not provide these features to a satisfactory degree are either low-grade paints or merely coatings. A number of coatings have been offered on the market to provide protection against fire. Some of these are effective fire-retardant compounds, but the majority will not withstand weathering and thus have limited interior use only. To overcome this deficiency, manufacturers recommend a second or protective coat of moisture-resistant material. As an alternative means of achieving this same result, fire-retardant chemicals can be sprayed or brushed on wood and protected by a normal paint after the chemical dries. 

A fire-retardant paint for wood must be capable of withstanding temperatures of 2200 to 2422 F. in structural fires and prevent the wood from flaming. It cannot reasonably be expected that this painted wood will be undamaged where the temperature is sufficiently elevated and the exposure is of critical duration. It is enough that the wood cells be protected for a reasonable period and that they be prevented from contributing fuel to the initial flame or fire. 

Certain chemicals intumesce and form a heat-insulating mat of spongy tough cells. Experiments with various fire-retardant coatings and paints indicate this to be the most effective type of protection so far developed. If the paint qualities can be improved to meet requirements for high-quality exterior paint without sacrificing any of the fire-retardant ability, there is no question of a wide market for the product. 

McNaughton, G. C., Natl. Fire Protect. Assoc. Quart., Fire-Retardant Treatment of Wood. ... 

I he words fire-retardant coatings usually imply paints or coating materials that will slow down or impede the progress of fire. The term as used here refers to a coating system that will not only prevent the progression of fire but also insulate and protect from heat the base to which the coating is applied. The base material is metal, usually aluminum. 

Fire-retardant-treated wood is durable and stable under normal exposure conditions. Treatments using inorganic water-soluble salts, however, are not recommended for exterior exposures to rain and weathering unless the treatment can be adequately protected by water-repellent coating. Exterior-type treatments in which the chemicals are "fixed" in the wood in some manner are leach resistant and nonhygroscopic. 

Le Bras, M., Bourbigot, S., Delporte, C., Siat C., and Le Tallec, Y. 1996. New intumescent formulations of fire retardant polypropylene Discussion about the free radicals mechanism of the formation of the carbonaceous protective material during the thermo-oxidative treatment of the additives. Fire Mater. 20 191-203. 

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