About Flame Retardants

DO YOU KNOW ?

There are only 3 known "methods" to stop a fire from being spread.

THE METHODS ARE

• by extinguishing
• by cooling
• by moving away the material that is on fire (if possible)

EXTINGUISHING and/or COOLING are the most frequently applied methods.

EXTINGUISHING often takes place in gas phase by applying Halogens.
Halogens are very effective but hazardous to human health.

Intumescents are another applied extinguishing method.
It takes place before the gas phase.

Intumescent means a substance which swells as a result of heat exposure, thus increasing in volume, and decreasing in density.
Intumescents are typically used in passive fire protection.

An intumescent consists of

• a proton donator
• volatile cat ions
• a non-flammable gas
• a carbon source

The choice of suitable chemicals for the intumescent primarily depends on the host material decomposition residues that shall be caught by the intumescent.

COOLING is an endothermic process that absorb heat energy.

Water has the lowest known thermal energy potential. That makes water to a terrific thermal energy cooling agent.
Salt is another chemical compound with a low thermal energy potential.
Salt is a chemical reaction between an acid and an alkali compound.
Different chemical compounds have different thermal energy potential.
Chemical reactions during decomposition that create water is often used as a cooling agent.

HAZARDOUS OR NOT?

If the immune system of a human may fail to detect the difference between, say, a hormone substance generated by humans and an alien substance, that forms a serious health risk.

If an alien substance will stay in a human for more than 30 days that forms a serious health risk too.

"GREEN" label - doesn't mean free from classified hazardous chemicals.

Many flame retardant suppliers market products as harmless and environmentally friendly, putting a "GREEN" label on the flame retardant products.

• But is it really proved that the "GREEN" label products are completely harmless to humans and other living organisms?


• What kind of test approvals have they passed before to guarantee no genetic impact on humans or other living organisms?


• Much better than "GREEN" labels are if the chemical compounds guarantee no hazards classified chemical (ECHA/REACH) in use.
  It is much safer for all to only use products free from any classified hazardous chemical compounds, isn't it?

WHAT WE KNOW ARE.....

Flame retardants based on salts of formic acid (meta-acid) also known as formate compounds are primarily used to impregnate wood in order to prevent fungus and rot to occur by killing all micro-organisms in the treated material area.
It is therefore difficult to understand how such flame retardants can be said to be harmless to human health. These formate are a significant burden on the ecological balance of nature especially as they are released over time due migration from the treated material.

Flame retardants based on ammonium compounds of various kinds are a risk both regarding human health and the environment. Ammonium compounds often decompose to form ammonia and sometimes even to form hydrogen cyanide which are known hazardous substances to inhale.
Furthermore, several of the current ammonium compounds (nitrogen compounds) are seen as fertilizers, which are proved in many cases the direct cause of eutrophication in nature with an adverse impact on the ecological balance of our nature.

Flame retardants in the form of organic phosphate esters release at the digestion a series of hazardous substances for humans and other organic life.
Phosphates also belong to the group of fertilizers with a high acidity of the environment. Therefore, it is difficult to understand how these organic phosphate esters can be said to be environmentally friendly substances.

Flame retardants of type halogens (chemical compounds of fluorine, chlorine or bromine) are today generally considered to be very harmful regarding health and the environment. It has led to that several manufacturers of flame retardants have chosen to compare their flame retardant products with a great group of halogens in order to appear "GREEN" and in the mirror of that being environmentally friendly.
Such a comparison has fallen far short regarding the demand on an accurate and true information in terms of classifying a flame retardant to be safe and environmentally friendly.
It is thus only minor nuances in the context of health-hazardous substances and not something else.

DOES IT EXIST ANY FLAME RETARDANTS WITHOUT ANY CLASSIFIED HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS ? - YES !!!

Today, April 2024, Bio-Eco® products - modified cellulose, made from recycled forest waste material, offers a most cost-effective, absolute non-toxic, eco-friendly, in nature biodegradable chemical additives for impregnation treatment of natural fibre materials to withstand ignition in contact with open flames.

Already in year 2005, the REDFR-project initiated by FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association) in UK supported by TSB (Technical Strategy Board) in UK, tested 27 different flame retardants, all said to be eco-friendly and completely harmless to humans and other organic livings.
After 3 years (2008) of different flame retardant material tests, it was proven that MHE® 201 was the only flame retardant among the 27 competitors in the test, that met the REDFR-project demands on both requested flame retardant functionality and being completely eco-friendly.

Primarily, MHE® fire retardants were very tiny powder particles (d95<0.005mm)(99.8% dryness) developed for product integration treatment of synthetic host materials - like PU, soft PVC, Polyester, Polyamide, EPDM-rubber etc.

MHE® FF & MHE® PFF both products are developed for wild forest fire fighting, active respectively preventive fire fighting, without polluting ground water or arable land, saving lives and properties.

MHE® FF consists of one part of powder particles, for example potassium citrate, the other part is MHE® 201 liquid.
By first spraying low forest vegetation with the powder particles, followed by spraying ditto with MHE® 201, the liquid binds the powder particle in an extremely successful result, stopping the treated low vegetation to support higher vegetation treetops with flames, preventing treetops to spread the wild forest fire to the surrounding neighbourhood.

MHE® PFF consists of MHE® 201 with a sticky additive (save from birch), in mission to glue on low vegetation, gardens, properties etc. without dissolving by heavy rain water, even though it dilutes after weeks of heavy rain water.

MHE® FF respectively MHE® PFF both are very effective products and probably the best chemical composition to use in fire fighting, without any risk to pollute ground water respectively soil - agriculture land etc.

Does a MHE® impregnated material, to withstand ignition in contact with open flames, meeting the fire safety standards? - YES !!!