Many specialists in material sciences and fire safety engineering agree on the importance of flame retardants and their properties to stop or slow the spread of fire. The use of flame retardants is vital because many synthetic materials and products that people have in their homes and construction plants pose a huge fire risk. Therefore, it's vital to choose the right flame retardant manufacturer to ensure optimum fire safety.
Testing And Oversight
Every chemical product is subjected to an approval by regulatory authorities in the UK and the EU in general. The European Chemical Agency, as well as governmental agencies in other regions of the world, ensure the chemicals used in flame retardants are safe for people. As flame retardant manufacturers strive to find better performing and more sustainable options, flame retardants have to be approved by the relevant governing bodies.
These authorities have the right to prohibit chemicals if they have questions concerning health risks. For example, there are about 50 flame retardant chemicals that are unlikely to pose health risks and much more that are unsafe to use. Therefore, you should make sure a manufacturer uses approved chemicals in their products.
Our Formulated Polymers flame retardants have undergone full assessments by the appropriate organisations and were determined to be safe to use.
Fire Safety Standards
Modern technologies have brought more fire safety issues. The increased use of electronic equipment has led to an increase in ignition sources. Manufacturers in different industries have to address these risks and ensure their products are fire safe.
Different industries - from furniture to automotive to construction - have developed fire safety standards for components and products that have a potential fire danger. According to the standards, products have to meet fire safety tests as a prerequisite for sales.
This is one of the reasons why flame retardants have emerged as an effective solution to help manufacturers meet flammability standards and requirements. Studies show that fire testing standards have a direct impact on preventing fire incidences. For example, stricter fire standards for television enclosures in the EU compared to that of the US demonstrated fewer TV fires in Europe than in America.
The home furnishing industry is another example of strict safety standards in Europe. It goes without saying that fire testing requirements for upholstered furniture are one of the key components in the decline of furniture fires. In both examples, flame retardants from a reputable manufacturer can be relied upon to meet these requirements.
The UK's furniture fire standard was established in 1988, which is considered the most stringent in the world. The UK’s Department for Business performed a statistical analysis in 2009 that showed the number of furniture-related fire before the introduction of standards and after. Unsurprisingly, this number fell dramatically afterward.
Reliable Flame Retardants From Formulated Polymers
Our team at Formulated Polymers have the knowledge and expertise to produce flame retardants that comply with strict regulations and constantly-changing requirements while also ensuring the performance criteria that is vital for your project to be successful. We have a range of versatile standard products, plus the capacity to formulate custom flame retardants if required. Please get in touch for further details.
