Furniture Flame Retardancy Partnership Environmental Profiles Of Chemical Flameretardant Alternatives For Lowdensity Polyurethane Foam

This report summarizes the toxicological information for alternatives to pentaBDE. Volume 1 contains the purpose and scope of the assessment, a description of the general characteristics of flame retardants, a general overview of exposure pathways and routes for flame retardants used in flexible polyurethane foam and the results of the assessments of 14 formulations of flame-retardant products most likely to replace commercially available pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE). Volume 2 contains the detailed chemical hazard reviews that serve as the basis for the summary assessments in section 4 of volume 1.

Polymer Green Flame Retardants covers key issues regarding the response of polymers during fire, the mechanisms of their flame retardation, the regulations imposed on their use, and the health hazards arising from their combustion. Presenting the latest research developments, the book focuses in particular on nanocomposites, believed to be the most promising approach for producing physically superior materials with low flammability and ecological impact. The fire properties of nanocomposites of various matrixes and fillers are discussed, the toxicological characteristics of these materials are analyzed, addressing also their environmental sustainability. Edited by distinguished scientists, including an array of international industry and academia experts, this book will appeal to chemical, mechanical, environmental, material and process engineers, upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines, and generally to researchers developing commercially attractive and environmentally friendly fire-proof products. Provides recent findings on the manufacture of environmentally sustainable flame retardant polymeric materials Covers legislation and regulations concerning flame retarded polymeric material use Includes tables containing the fire properties of the most common polymeric materials

Take a random walk through your life and youÕll find it is awash in industrial, often toxic, chemicals. Sip water from a plastic bottle and ingest bisphenol A. Prepare dinner in a non-stick frying pan or wear a layer of Gore-Tex only to be exposed to perfluorinated compounds. Hang curtains, clip your baby into a car seat, watch televisionÑall are manufactured with brominated flame-retardants. Cosmetic ingredients, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and other compounds enter our bodies and remain briefly or permanently. Far too many suspected toxic hazards are unleashed every day that affect the development and function of our brain, immune system, reproductive organs, or hormones. But no public health law requires product testing of most chemical compounds before they enter the market. If products are deemed dangerous, toxicants must be forcibly reduced or removedÑbut only after harm has been done. In this scientifically rigorous legal analysis, Carl Cranor argues that just as pharmaceuticals and pesticides cannot be sold without pre-market testing, other chemical products should be subject to the same safety measures. Cranor shows, in terrifying detail, what risks we run, and that it is entirely possible to design a less dangerous commercial world.

Globally, fire retardants are needed to satisfy a multibillion dollar market and fire retardancy of polymetric materials is an important component of fire safety. This book covers the latest developments in new fire retardancy systems for engineers needing to use fire safe materials in their projects.

This important book provides a comprehensive account of the advances that have occurred in fire science in relation to a broad range of materials. The manufacture of fire retardant materials is an active area of research, the understanding of which can improve safety as well as the marketability of a product. The first part of the book reviews the advances that have occurred in improving the fire retardancy of specific materials, ranging from developments in phosphorus and halogen-free flame retardants to the use of nanocomposites as novel flame retardant systems. Key environmental issues are also addressed. The second group of chapters examines fire testing issues and regulations. A final group of chapters addresses the application of fire retardant materials in such areas as composites, automotive materials, military fabrics and aviation materials. With its distinguished editors and array of international contributors, this book is an essential reference for producers, manufacturers, retailers and all those wishing to improve fire retardancy in materials. It is also suitable for researchers in industry or academia. Reviews advances in improving the retardancy of materials Addresses key environmental issues Examines fire testing issues and regulations and the challenges involved

Initially marketed as a life-saving advancement, flame retardants are now mired in controversy. Some argue that data show the chemicals are unsafe while others continue to support their use. The tactics of each side have far-reaching consequences for how we interpret new scientific discoveries. An experienced environmental sociologist, Alissa Cordner conducts more than a hundred interviews with activists, scientists, regulators, and industry professionals to isolate the social, scientific, economic, and political forces influencing environmental health policy today. Introducing "strategic science translation," she describes how stakeholders use scientific evidence to support nonscientific goals and construct "conceptual risk formulas" to shape risk assessment and the interpretation of empirical evidence. A revelatory text for public-health advocates, Toxic Safety demonstrates that while all parties interested in health issues use science to support their claims, they do not compete on a level playing field and even good intentions can have deleterious effects.