Document MJz3oMnX3nMrkgn4e837mvLXk

Operating Unit Profile USG: Concerned For Consumer Safety And Meaningful Standards Concern for consumer Noting that the principal sent agreement in 1974, safety was the prime moti emphasis of the group has Under the agreement, a vation in forming SPI's been in the area of com Product Research Commit Urethane Safety Group in bustibility, Mr. Davis tee was established to co June of 1972. The by'aws of points out that USG has ordinate and manage a the USG clearly state its sponsored sixteen fire tests scientific research program objectives as follows: "(a) of various configurations of on the combustibility of cel To constitute a group with polyurethane foam assem- j lular plastics for a period of in the Society representing blies and control assem five years. It is financed by the urethane industry, to blies to determine their a $5,000,000 program fund foster intelligent regula combustibility behavior in provided by the assessment tions, meaningful stan simulated industrial con of the respondents to the dards, and truthful com structions. agreement. munication looking toward safety for the consumer; (b) To assure that the ure thane industry is repres ented on matters before governmental agencies, industry and other con cerned groups as regards questions of urethane flammibility and the safe use of urethane products; (c) To collect statistics and other These tests have been conducted in tne largescale corner wall facility of the Factory Mutual Re Objectives of the pro gram are: "(a) To deter mine the most effective manner for employing cel search Corporation, Nor lular plastics and systems wood, Mass. Specifically, containing such products to what the test includes is a minimize fire hazards in the facility 25 feet nigh with a final intended uses; (b) to . 40-foot fall anc a 50-foot develop guidelines for the wall, roofed over. The igni effective use of such cel tion source is a 750-pound lular plastics; (c) To devel . crib of wood, ignited in the op tests or the basis for data concerning the safe use of urethane; (d) To sup port and conduct research and testing programs re lated to the safe use of urethane." corner, producing temperaj tures of over 1G00 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it a very severe test. Results Published The tests have been con ducted with varous types standards, including large- scale tests as well as methods by which the re sults of small-scale tests can be correlated to provide an index of the behavior of cellular plastics in various Forty Members flame barriers, toth metal burning conditions, which For the past four years, and spray-on, and under tests accurately relate in the USG has been compos sprinklered and non- ed of approximately forty member companies and operates under the direc tion of a fifteen-member Steering Committee. Dayto-day operations are con ducted by a full time SPI staff director, Arthur B. sprinklered conc tions. Re; suits of each series of tests | have been published and | widely distributed to foam contractors, general con tractors, architects, build ing owners, building in- real fires." Mini-Corner Tests One aspect of fire testing criticized by the FTC was the use of small-scale tests. As a result of research work done by a USG member, Chiwis. 1 spectors and the fire "irf the past four years, services. USG has done considera Results of these corner ble large-scale fire testing wall tests have teen instru of both rigid and flexible mental in deveicpment of urethane foams," reports new provisions on foam Richard H. Davis, newly insulation that have been The Upjohn Co., Factory Mutual has reported achieving a high degree of correlation to large-scale burns with a mini-corner at one-twelfth scale. Further experimental work is now elected Chairman of the written into the national being done, and if it proves group. "These testing programs, which are con tinuing, have assisted model building codes. These provisions nave been translated into rany local successful, the mini-corner will permit the speeding-up of fire testing of solid and greatly in the development and state building codes. cellular plastics and other of building code provisions and guidelines on the safe and proper uses of our pro The Factory Mutual test results were also an impor tant factor in the delibera building materials at less cost than large-scale methods. ducts." Mr. Davis is man tions of the Feceral Trade ager, Urethane Chemicals, Commission, m which SPI-10706 Similar important test work has been performed on flexible polyurethane foam, which is used for fh^n'1"kk and furnitoret at the Rubber and Plastics Re search Association in the united Kingdom under the auspices of an inter company panel and the In ternational Isocyanate fnshtute, and at Southwest Research Institute in tne Umied States under the sponsorship 0f the Ure thane Safety Group. Gener ally speaking, these tests studied ignition of cushion- mg materials using cigar ettes, methanamine piu$ newspaper and a multiple flame gas burner as ignij'on sources. Ignition flame spread and heat and smoke development data were compiled and analyz ed and gaseous combusion products of burning materi als identified. More recently, USG has oeen conducting discus sions with the Oil Industry Association on the fea sibility of conducting tests on rigid spray-on poly urethane foam used to insulate huge tanks and pipelines. As test ^forma tion is developed, it is dis seminated for industry use. Status Report Basic to the USG infor mational effort has been a "Status Report" providing an overview of flexible and rigid polyurethane foams and safety considerations. The first companion to this document was a two-page bulletin titled "Fire Safety Guidelines for Rigid Poly urethane Foam Insula tion", containing informa tion on building code pro visions and additional guidance from the Ure thane Safety Group. This bulletin has been repub lished and quoted broadly m insurance publications, building code magazines) construction media and elsewhere. USG now has under development a set of fire safety guidelines for furniture manufacturers and reupholsterers that Results of the Factory Mutual corner wall tests have been published in two bulletins, one on fire testing involving metal fac ings and the other involv ing spray-on thermal coatings. USG has also produced a sound and slide presenta tion based on the fire safety guidelines and building code provisions and has made it available to profes sional groups on a sale or lease basis. Seventy-five of the sets have been in circu lation and it is estimated to date that close to 20,000 professionals in the safety and combustibility fields have seen the presentation. More recently, USG has developed a second slide presentation which speaks directly to the concerns of firemen, and this is being made available to the fire services throughout the country. USG's most recent pub lication is a report prepared by the Stanford Research Institute summarizing the results of the flexible foam fire testing done at South west Research Institute and in the United Kingdom. Using the slide presenta tions and other materials as the basis for a speaking tour, Mr. Chivvis has car ried the story bf urethane safety to meetings of ure thane contractors, firemen, insurance industry person nel, agricultural builders, and industrial tank engi neers. In recent months, industry representatives have been meeting with various state and federal officials concerned with a series of mattress fires started by prisoners in their cells or in prison storage areas. There is no doubt that since its inception, 5PI`s Urethane Safety Group has become an effective indus try vehicle for promoting the safe use of urethane in the construction industry and educating governmen tal agencies, the fire com munity and urethane mar kets in regards to questions of flammibility. At the re cent annual meeting, it was pointed out that during 1975, polyurethanes had 1 done comparatively well for an off year, particularly in building insulation, where there was a 15 percent in crease in use despite a drop in construction as a whole. SPI-10707 FIRE RESEARCH: A Progress Report from the Plastics Industry JOHN A. BLAIR Chairman, Coordiiirifinu Committee on Consumer Safety The StH'wtij of the Plastics industry Based upon suggestions from inside and outside the in dustry, and in order to attack more directly mutual prob lems relating tc fires and consumer safety, the technical programs of The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPl) have been altered to deal in a more direct manner with actuulfire hazards that can he adequately defined. These programs are discussed in this article. About a year ago, Ralph Harding. President of 'Hie So ciety of the Plastics Industry, in his address to the Inter national Association of Fire Chiefs, cast out a challenge to the fire community. That challenge, in essence, stated: Tell us trie needs, as vou see them, and lot us. in SPl. see how wo mmht alter our present programs and/or establish new programs to find answers to those needs. The response has Keen rapid and thoughtful. Indi vidual members of mans groups have contributed: the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). the Na tional Fire Prevention and Control Administration i'NFPCA). the International Association of Fire Chiefs .IAFCj. the International Association of Fire Fighters vlAFF) the Fire Marshals Association of North America FMANA,. the International Society of Fire Sen-ice In structors dSFSlh Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Interna tional Conference of Building Officials UCBO), the Fac tory Mutual Research Corporation (FM), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the American Institute of Architects (AlA), the University of Utah, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), the University of Michigan, Harvard University, and many others. Based upon the responses, we in the plastics industry are placing increased emphasis, in our programs, on Mr. BLir i' Senior CommiIuiiI far The Du Pint Coinpam. dealing with hazards of actual fire situations. To do so ef fectively, we are concentrating on known ha/aids and/or hazards that can reasonably be expected. Ilazaid analyses provide the guidance for our prvnpams -- for only when the problem has been adequately defined ran we develop the proper solution. The responses have been so meaningful, and so much interest has been shown, that we have asked fur and received the help of representatives from various organi zations to direct some of our programs- In fact, three of our newest and most important programs ;nc being de veloped and administered by members of nonindustry groups, including the NFPA, NFPCA, IAFC, IAFF. FMANA. 1SFS1, the California Fire Marshals and Fire Chiefs, and ICBO, with the SPI mainly supply mg part or all of the funds. Our own analysis and evaluation to date indicates that we must develop proper scale tests that will h-ad to con trols for proven fire hazards in gjvcn product applica tions. This is also a principal concern of the Federal Trade Commission, as evidenced by the work of its Product Research Committee. Therefore, wc arc putting our greatest efforts into large-scale testing and living to produce correlative results in smaller scale, rather than simply trying to improve such existing sma!!-scle tests as ASTM D 635 and D 1692 and/or adding Ic-t-theviser-beware" caveats. While caveats are required ami may be appropriate in some cases, they really should be used only as a backstop until proper solutions arc found. FIRE JOURNAL--NOVEMBER 1976 57 SPI-I0708 Our method of operation is to work on a mutual basis with all interested groups, reviewing all programs underway in the United States and Canada, and then to provide financial and/or technical support to those that have the most pertinent programs underway. If we de termine that there is a need for additional effort in a specific area, we then consider initialing a specific SPI program. We have found this overall cooperative ap proach to be the most effective in pnxlueing the host results toward consumer safety iu the shortest period of time. This approach minimizes duplication of effort and provides communications and discussions from the start, tending to reduce the time span between the end of experimentation and adoption of an adequate standard. Ibe lAFF and the NBS published an excellent and comprehensive report on fire-fighter mortality in May 1976. And of course, one of the most comprehensive programs of data collection is the National Electronic Injury Surveillance Systems (N KISS) used by the Con sumer Product Safety Commission ((JPSC). Data relat ing to fabrics are included in the Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and Testing Systems (KFACTSb de veloped at NBS and now maintained by the CPSG. The SPI wholeheartedly supports those efforts on data accumulation and encourages additional work now underway to irnp'rovc the overall quality uf detailed re porting. The major approach to combustibility research by the plastics industry is comprised of three steps: 1) Hazard analysis to attempt to determine all possi ble fire hazards; 2) Ev aluation of the data to determine which hazards may be "unreasonable hazards" that warrant major ac tion; and 3) Research to develop effective measurement and control methods For the defined major hazards. Bast-d on the results of this three-step appioach, the plastics industry may modify its products, work for inanecs in standards or codes. Or provide sale-use in structions and other information for consumers. Some times a combination of all three measures is required. HAZARD ANALYSIS A complete and technically sound analysis of the hazard is essential for any program aimed at true con sumer protection. The problems must be properly de fined first, if adequate solutions are ever to be found. For example, a slab oflow-density foamed material King in the center of a playing field cannot be envisioned as a hazard, except perhaps as a minor tripping haz.ird. On the other band, that same low-density foam applied ex posed to the c eiling of a nightclub (to make it look like a cave) where (he occupancy may be high, the possible ignition sources numerous, and exits limited, can trulv present an `'mueasoiuble hazard." Auah vis of hazards must first he based upon a techni cally sound compilation of data, including case hi'iorics. The \FPA has always been first and foremost w ;th lire statistics. Not only does it issue sLitistics on 30.000 fires, but it also makes compilations to indicate important trends. 58* F1KK JOURNAL - - NOVEMBER 1976 Work within the SPI program that specifically relates to this area of data collection includes the following. 1) A proposed program conducted jointly by the Har vard University School of Public Health, the NFPCA, the Boston Fire Department, and the SPI that will analyze combustion gases at more than 100 actual fires to determine what products of combustion are being pro duced and whether they may present major hazmds to either fire fighters or occupants. This excellent program, developed by Dr. William Burgess ofHarvard, would be financed by the NFPCA and the SPh The fire gas sam ples would be obtained at the fire location hv members of the Boston Fin* Department and subsequently anal) zed at Harvard. Cases would be collected by in struments worn by the file fighters during their first entry at the file scene and also during cleanup opmations. These would be analyzed for caibon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen dioxide, hxdrnzen cyanide, hydrogen chloride, aldehydes (acrolein), etc., and their concentrations determined. In addition, the major combustible materials involved in eac h fire would be reported. A formal proposal has been submitted by Harvard to NFPCA and SPI for funding this program. 2) An independent "toxicity review" conducted with top personnel of key government, code, fire protection, and medical organizations, etc., through personal inter views. The objective of the review is to obtain a better "definition of the problem and to adjust our peunams accordingly. The review is expected to be completed during the last quarter of 1976, widi .mv rn cess.my changes in SPI programs corning by the summer of 1977. 3.) The loan of an SPI scientist to the NBS as a re search associate assigned by the NBS to the group v. hose responsibility is hazard analysis (analyzing fire statistics and causes). 4) The investigation of fires by independent consult ants who have had mans- years of investigative expeii- SPI-10709 cnee. Such investigations sometimes become necessary when news reports implicate pl.isties. The investigations often show that plastics were not involved, or that the material used was not installed in accordance with codes or gcxjd standard practice. 5) 'IliC funding of a fire injury incidence study |>einj conducted by Professor Irving Eiuliorns group at the University of Utah. A detailed initial report presented in July 1975 at the University of Utah Polymer Conference series1 analyzed 103 fires in Salt 1-ikc City. The data obtained were similar to national data on causes of fires- EVALUATION OF HAZARDS Programs should be aimed at the elimination of de fined "unreasonable hazards." Materials themselves cannot he correctly and technically defined as "hazard ous," but must be evaluated in their specific end use. They can become hazardous only in respect to die de gree of risk involved in the use of a material in a specific application. Many of the most hazardous situations result from the misuse of a material -- that is, a use that is outside the original intent of the material supplier or fabricator. For example, common unmodified cellular foams are not intended to be used as a sprayed-on deco ration, applied to and left exposed on the ceilings of a nightclub. The plastics industry usually finds it difficult to obtain true findings of '`unreasonable hazards" regarding its specific products. While data lead us to believe that mis use of cigarettes, alcohol, matches, gasoline, firecrac kers. guns, etc., creates at least a severe degree of hazard, what is the true extent of hazards for items such as furniture stuffed with foam, and occasional furniture or kitchen cabinets made of plastics? It is confusing at times to our SPI technical groups when they observe that relatively weak action is being taken against known hazards such as ignition sources (cigarettes, matches, cigarette lighters) or extremely flammable materials such as gasoline, etc. Vet there are a few who would indiscriminately ban the use of polyvinylchloride (PVC) in electrical conduit -- "due to the hydrogen chloride toxicity problems." To date, there has not been one substantiated reported death, proven bv nutopsv. related to hydrogen chloride produced bv combustion of PVC. Loading toxicologists loll us that hydrogen chloride is so irritating that a human c.nmot phvsicallx remain in a room in which it exists in the 50 ppm range, and the dangerous levels for hydrogen 1 1 N Einli'irn .md Pimmcr Cirnfen*r*ce Scries. FL>n- inahihn Research (Vnli-r. University >>f Ut Ji. July J97S. chloride are generally above 2000 ppm.2 While data ob tained to date indicate that hydrogen chloride is not an "unreasonable hazard ' in ordinary fire situations, we are aware that six*ci;l core should be taken if an uuiiMially heavy concentration of PVC is involved in a lin- - for example, in a telephone exchange or computer loom. In this ca.se, hydrogen chloride, being aeidir, ran cntiiijbutc to irritation of the lungs, leading in severe cases to pulmonary edema generally one to three days following exposure. The same precautions should lx* taken in any situation where large quantities of a single riiaterial are present, such as a storeroom full of wool clothing that can produce large amounts of hydrogen cyanide when it burns. 'Hus is particularly important when the space is totally en closed. This is the situation as we see it to dale; however, we are continually looking for and would appreciate any additional input based upon sound technical data. Five recent programs on the evaluation tlj fire hazards appear to be extremely helpful. First is the excellent Fire Fighter Mortality Report3 that was- done be the IAFF for the NES This in-depth, 165-page invcrtrg.irjon of the in-line-of-Juty deaths of 101 fire fightcis is an excellent example of hazard analysis. Forts-five of the 101 cases were related to heart attacks (which were brought on by: a) exposure to sinoke/tovjc fume inhala tion, h) stress, and c) overevertian). The Report con cluded that: "The case investigations have uncovered numerous problems of fire fighter's hoahh and vificty which require immediate attention. Solutions to \c.cr.l of the problems are evident. - . Because of (he perti nent information presented, this Report should lie "must reading" for each of us in (lie fire conunuoih Hut the Report itself is only the beginning. While the Rrpon fists only two deaths directly related to toxic fume inhalation, toxic fumes -- particularly carbon monoxide-, will} ii% ef fect on the owgen-carrying capability of the blood -- must be considered as a factor in many of the ,5 heart attack cases and in the nine cases attributed tu 'moke inhalation. The Report emphasizes that fire fighters should wear self-contained breathing apparatus "m all fire situations." The second good example of hazard ao.ils-.is is the report "fire Death Scenarios and Firexnfety Planning.' 4 developed by the N'BS and the N'KPA. iTiis report dis cusses the use of fire scenario' and lists the 1-1 top fire ` y HnnU-rviii ,nkJ II XV Hdj^.ir-J. Vmi<>ui t'.n\r\ s< i I ,|| t M >n i \n ir-ri< aii (.),< mu-a! Si* n t v. Xlni.i lui-ip), S.-i,. , |fi, 3 Hi' H-L..I.IT. Frrr F.zhtcr Ififrtuhiti f, | p.!,,,. <1 , > j,, IhU-rnjli'nui Kwk utmft of Fur FudM r. Inr lln- Viiim,..| jtr ,,f 'lUmhrdj, May 1S76. * K. 8 Clark*. Ut and Jutm Otlnwii, "Firr iV.dli Stemmi. .,i,d Finw.JVty PI.aming, nhe jdcmaai., \ ul. 7t*. \n l.Mv. J'tTfn j> FIRE JOURNAL - NOVKMbF.R 197h 5y SPI-10710 scenarios that account Tor C>6 percent of the fire deaths in the United States. Key conclusions of the report include the facts that: a) 27 percent of all fire deaths are related to fires in residential furnishings caused by cigarettes and oilier smoking materials; b) 51 percent of all resi dential fires mvolvisl the ignition of furnishings (one-half of them in mattresses nrnl/or bedclothes; one-half in ujv bolstered furniture); and e) nil scenarios involving 2 jxtceut or more of the fire death* occur in the home. 'Ibis report provides us with many important points. A third example of good hazard analysis is the study conducted by Dr. Radford and others at the Johns Hop kins University Applied Physics Laboratory,5 where the surrey of 206 fire deaths in Maryland (from 1971 to 1974) showed definite carbon monoxide poisoning in 50 per cent of the deaths. In 52 percent of the deaths, the cause of the fire was a cigarette or other smoking material. Dr. Radford further explains the extreme hazards of carbon monoxide, [f an adult is exposed to a 5 percent concen tration of carbon monoxide, which may frequently be encountered in fire situations, it will take only 'h to l'i minutes to reach a 50 jxmeent carhoxy hemoglobin con centration in the blood Compared to c;nl>on monoxioe, )i\ ilrngen cyanide is very soluble and will be taken up by both fluids Dr. Radford indicates that for that reason it is "probably relatively rare" to have a concentration of hxtlrogen cyanide in a fire sufficiently large to cause significant injury. Irritant gases such as aldehydes, on the other hand, will have an immediate effect because the\ become concentrated in the lungs, instead of being distributed throughout the lx>dy. As a fourth example. Dr. Zikria of the ColumbiaPresbv tcrinn Medical Center of Ness York City has done some excellent studies6 relating to the cause of death after arrival of the fire victim at the hospital. This worx provides information on how gases and heat cause re spiratory burns, ami on injuries caused by inhalation of smoke and fumes -- including carbon monoxide, aideludes, and acidic and basic gases. Dr. Zikria s work has also involved studies with the irritating aldehydes in wood, specifically acrolein. Dr. Zikria has previously stated that: "It is likely that the agents causing trachtrbroach ij) and pulmonary parenchymal damage of smoke poisoning in man are also the aldehydes which <ue found in large quantities in smoke and combustion of wood, cotton, furniture, and nonsynthetic structural mate rials." This type of investigation is important in regard to * Etlw.trd P fAnliord. "CO It Still \Vurvl uf Lethal Oates. Fir* f~ itii.iltn-s Seminar learn*." Fire KnpnetrmQ, Vol. 12b. No 9 ;Sc^ U-niU-r 1975!. p 31. c 8 V ikn;v Cl at . ''A Oinicjl S' ii-xv iif Smike P<uiniimC. j> <pet 'jt\ *u jf Pin tioliHi-tl T\ki>lnir;il Aspects at" Cm iil>o sueI'MKji.tXs ;ui )m1 i-nt.tlit>i.il Sv*iii[vKjiim held M irvh 1^-20, 197*. at li.r L'niver-ifs of I'l.J). (PiiMivhcd h\ the Nalnicial Aeatlcmy of Somers. Wx'.himiinii. 19 C. in ly76f. the possible damage caused hv the inure unusi,.,) ;iS|h.r, of gases produced during fire situations. Frufi-ssur Kiuhorn's group at the University <f I 'lob' lx evaluating additional indojxmdent il.it.i based upon i},.. .,1Kite Injury Surveys. Tbi.\ program is pl.u iug its mu,,* emphasis on the physiological and tosietfiogn al >lieri\ combustion products. All five of those studies provide us with some items on which to take immediate action. It is evident that h>\x it-, is a major problem. There are so many unknown faclmx relating to toxicity, whereas the characteristics of ig.,i. tion, heat release, and flame spread are defined more easily. All combustible materials (cotton, wool, wood, etc., as well as synthetics) present a hazard in regard to the toxicity of combustion products when involv ed in a fire situation. All of these materials produce carbon monoxide, which is the major .cause of fire deaths Fur thermore, additional gases such as acrolein (wood). 1>\drogen cyanide (wool and urethanes), and hydrogen chloride (polyvinylchloride) mnv lie piodiKvd. it lx es sential. theicfore, that we determine whether these or ;inv other materials may present an unreason.ilile hazard." For this reason, a major paif of Mm rese.iuh efTort l*eing conducted by many groups, as well as by the SPI. is at present aimed at developing a testing im-llu*! for evaluating materials ami the toxicity of tfirir cumlnotion products in order to determine which, if any. of them may present an "unreasonable hazard." Within the SPI: 1) the principal job of hazard evalua tion is conducted by the Coordinating Committee on Consumer Safety (CCCS). which is comprised of repicscntativ es of 20 operating div imuiis concerned with v .mous categories of plastics products. This Committee, which meets quarterly, assembles information on hazard analysis, searches out potential problems, i c\ lews ongo ing research, and determines directions for new re search. Research programs may he conducted direc th under the supervision of (he Committee oi by one of the operating divisions. 21 At the request of the National Pm rejn of S tnnd.u <!s, the SPI has been supplying it with rmnim rcially sig nificant materials for toxicity review mid binscreeuiog of combustion product}. This prugrum. funded hv the NBS, has to slate evaluated at the hi ami mabilit v Research Center of the University of Utah nearly 1 10 samples of materials with and without flume-retardant additives. Included are polyurethane foam (rigid and flexible.', polyvinylchloride, polystyrene (expuaduhlr; and rigid), polyolefins, and polyesters. Tims far. them lias been no reported indication that any of these com mercially significant materials presents an "mueasonabUhazard ' when subjected to heat or combustion. ~ S?r f-- "p 3& uf tins ail/cie. 60 FIRE JOURNAL -- NOVF.MHKK 1976 SPM0711 J ultimate aim is a system lo determine which, if any,, materials might present an unusual hazard. Considera ble progress toward this objective has been made. At present, tlto work is concentrating on improving the techniques used in the past for determination of "in* capaeitalion. Many of the old techniques (such as the tumble cage) require prior training of the rats and/or make it difficult to determine the point of incapacitation (falling versus sliding, etc.). A roto-rod technique shows good potential as being less subjective. warelmusing of short life-cycle plastics (eg., polyethylene buttles, foatn trays and cartons, am! poly styrene cups) commonly stored in commercial ware houses. Results of those tesLs, conducted at Factory Mutual, have demonstrated sound methods of storage configurations and sprinkler protection for plastics emnmcxlities. Additional tests arc planned hi further refine the information that is being provided to insurers, the fire service, ami standards-making groups. 6) Eight full-scale tests have been conducted to de termine what type of fire protection is needed for 7) The Urethane Safety Croup has just published a new bulletin on four large-scale corner wall tests, con ducted at Factory Mutual, that involved spray-on ther mal coatings over spray-on polvurelhane foams. Those tests followed L2 corner wall tests that invoked exposed Enpneffs ** Factory Mutual Betrarch Corp. study installation of foam and metal-clad polyurethane foam panels and control plastic msul.itinn in preparation for a fire text on lar*?-s< Je corner wall. j Such tesu have been conducted for the plastic* industry since 1972. materials. Some of the test materials were rated accept i able by Factory Mutual and some failed, providing a great deal of guidance on sound applications. 8) The Plastics Pipe Institute of SPI has sponsored a number of tests at the research facilities of Ohio State University and the University of California at Berkeley. These tests, based on ASTM test niethexk E 119, are designed to determine the effect of penoh'.ition with plastics pipe on nrc-rated walls and floors. The data gathered thus far indicate that, when properK installed, plastics pipe will not reduce the endurance rating of fire-resistant construction, nor will it serve as a vehicle for the spread oi fire through a structure. Lia-^SlO 1 Fjctnrv Mntii.il ' large-scale corner wall is 25 feet hisli u.ifn 50-foot and -50-foot-lune "'alls Wail mule-nab .ire tt-Mi'd in tundihnns simulating a faclor\ intiallation TTse fire source is a 730-pound crib of" ooo generat ing temperatures of over 100Q*F. 9) All Research Applied to National Needs (RAN'N) programs related lo firesafetv have been trunsfn red lo the National Fire Prevention and Control AchniniMration by the National Science Foundation One ongoing, significant, sophisticated program at the Urmersity of Utah involved hioscreening analy sis of traditional mate rials (wood-colh.jb.jsic) and synthetics {PVC, urethane) The SPI funds all six graduate students who are working on this program. 62 FIRE JOURNAL -- NOVEMBER 1976 10) Recently, the Expanded PoK styrene Bhx'k Molders Committee has been conducting fire tests of its products in a dwelling-size corner at Underwriters Lab oratories Inc. They also are conducting, at hactoiy Mutual, large-scale warehousing tests on materials used ;is packaging insulation for apphanccs. 11) A fellowship has been awarded to Jolins Hopkins Universitv for the development of methodology on toxic ity, in conjunction with the NBS. 12) Our work at the Southwest Research Institute (S WRI) has shifted to determination of the effects of den sity on the rate and quantity of off-gas evoluliun. This program is nearing conclusion. Although the program SPI-10712 In addition, SP1 members are and have been par ticipating for many yean, with many others in the fire community, in developing proper standards and build ing code provision* in recognition of the fact that fire is an enemy to all of us. It is becoming increasingly obvious that our abilities It) control unwanted fires through design of mntni.ik and assemblies, while improving all the time, will never pro vide the total answer because combustibles will always be with us in the built environment. Therefore, it is essential that adequate systems for rapid detection and suppression also be used -- for true life safety. Rpresentativ of the fire services at a working session with (he Society of the Plastics Industry to devise a training program for fire fighters on plastics and combustibility. First phase of the program has been com pleted and development oF training materials is underway. One of the best examples of this type of system is Disney World in Florida, where a planned combined system of detection / alarm / suppression / smoke vent ing, coupled with compartmentalization, permits wide spread uses of combustible materials (treated wood and plastics) in an area of greatest concern -- one of the most densely populated (with children) areas in the world. Another very important step involves education and communication. Specific efforts within the SP1 include: was originally intended to be of relatively short duration, the complexity of analyzing products to determine the toxicity of their combustion off-gases presented a number of technical difficulties that were not easily solved. 13) The Polystyrene Safety Croup has work underway at SWRI relating to methodology that, while specific to their products, will add to the overall technology. 14) In cooperation with the State Fire Marshal of Ohio and Patton Life Safety Systems, the SPI sponsored a series of burns in which sprinkler systems were tested for possible residential use. Work in this area, and on smoke detectors, is expected to be continued and ex panded under the direction of the NFPCA. CONTROL OF F1HE The results of all this analysis, evaluation, and re search obviously would be meaningless if the steps ended there. But they do not. Members of the plastics industry are constantly analyzing results obtained from these programs and field experience in order to modify their products and de velop new ones. 1) Distribution by the SPI and its member companies of many safe-use bulletins describing proper methods for handling and installing their products, and encouraging adherence to building code provisions that prescribe proper uses. 2) A project now underway at the NFPA to develop a training program concerning plastics for fire fighters. The project is being developed by the NFPA staff with guidance from members of the 1AFC, IAFF, FMANA, 1SFS1, and SPI, who meet regularly. The first phase, involving research and design, has been completed and the program should be reads' for distribution ami use by early 1977. The use of plastics in the built environment lias grown very rapidly in the past quarter century, and projections indicate that it will continue to grow. The SPI is con cerned that this be a proper growth, not accomplished at the expense of firesafety. In 1977, we should begin to see results fi om many of the programs described in this arti cle, and these will be passed along to the fire commu nity. We believe that, with the help of the fire rominunitv, we are on the right track with our programs, but obviously a great deal of additional work nerds to be done. The SPI welcomes constructive cnlicism and suggestions on how changes can be made in its constant rcc-valujtion of its programs. FIRE JOURNAL -- NOVEMBER 1076 63 SPI-10713 POLYMERS AND FIRE Our initial objective in producing our film entitled "Polymers and Fire'* was to put into proper perspective the flammability char acteristics of synthetic materials, especially PVC. We felt there was need to communicate with the fire community, architects, build ing trades, code officials and the public in general. We wanted to illustrate how the positive flammability characteristics of PVC were being used to advantage in wire insulation, furniture covering, building components and the like. As the project developed, and as we reviewed our progress with various groups in the building trades, and with members of the fire community, one thing of special significance emerged. It became ap parent that the fire community did not have a clear understanding of the compositional relationship between synthetic polymers and natural polymers and how this relates to flammability. We also found that in most cases, the firemen viewed with alarm the toxicity of the com bustion products of the little understood man-made polymers. In con trast, they seemed to believe that exposure to combustion products from natural polymers or traditional materials were less hazardous and there was less need to rely on self-contained breathing apparatus. As a result, we abandoned our original idea to produce a film on PVC alone and used this opportunity to make a film that would have a broader educational message of all "Polymers and Fire" aimed espec ially at firemen. The main message is that all polymers, natural and man-made, produce toxic gases when burned and the best protection for fire fighters against this hazard is the self-contained breathing appara tus . The film illustrates: That polymers are the most common class of materials to be involved in fires and include both natural and man-made ma terials such as wood, wool, cotton and synthetics. That polymers are long chain molecules containing carbon. When carbon-containing materials burn, carbon monoxide is usually generated. This is the main threat to life safety. In addition, other toxic gases are also produced--depending upon the polymer's composition. PVC is one of the polymers included. The firefighter must assume that the atmosphere around all working fires is hostile and his best defense against toxic combustion products is the self-contained breathing apparatus. SPI-10714