Document evQVZnX7L5j0J4Owr4qE9GekM

* mu PVC Safety Group PVC Fire Safety Committee Sheraton Hopkins Hotel Cleveland. Ohio_________ April 17, 1980 10 AM ATTENDEES: Daniel L. Kent, Chairman. B. F. Goodrich, 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44131 Timothy L. Pickering, Air Products, P.0. Box 538, Allentown, PA 18105 H. F. Van Der Voort, Carlon, 23200 Chagrin Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44122 John L. Irvine, Conoco Inc., P.O. Box 1267, Ponca City, OK 74601 Joseph D. Banzer, Diamond Shamrock, P.O. Box 348, Painesvllle, OH 40077 Norio Sugawara, Diamond Shamrock, 7548 Auburn Rd., Painesvllle, OH 44077 R. Bernie Whitehead, Ethyl Corp., 8000 GSRI Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70808 David F. Lawson, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Central Research Lab., Akron, OH 44317 George H. Wear, General Tire & Rubber Co., One General St., Newcomerstown, OH 43832 Mike O'Mara, B. F. Goodrich, Avon Lake Tech. Center, P.O. Box 122, Avon Lake, OH 44012 James D. Tanzllli, B. F. Goodrich Chemical Group, 6100 Oak Tree Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44131 Robert C. Wilging., B. F. Goodrich, 6100 Oak Tree Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44131 Ray Abramowltz, Hooker Chemical, River Road, Burlington, N.J. 08016 Robert W. Lally, Stauffer Chemical Co., Westport, CT 06880 Leonard Gross, Tenneco Chemicals, Inc., Turner Place, Piscataway, N.J. 08854 J. P. Carroll, SPI, 355 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 *** Chairman, Dan Kent, B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company, called the meeting to order. Following self introductions the minutes of the October 3, 1979 meeting were approved as distributed. Following initial meeting announcements, he asked Jerry Carroll, SPI Safety Director and Staff Administrator for Combustibility, to update the Committee on the current SPI and CCCS liaison with federal agencies; i.e. CPSC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Adminis tration (USFA). He commented further, that in his opinion, the PVC Safety Group should prepare various informational semi technical brochures guidelines on PVC, (i.e. the Urethane Division). Or still further, possibly a "white paper" on PVC Combustion Toxicology, in layman terms. Mr. Kent thanked Mr. Carroll and then requested that Mr. H. F. Van Der Voort, Carlon a Division of Indian Head, to report on the 1980 National Electric Code (NEC) and PVC Conduit issue. Mr. Van Der Voort provided the background for this year's ratification of the Technical Comnittee Report and Technical Conslttee Documentation for the National Electric Code. He Indicated that in May, at the annual NFPA meeting the 1981 National Electric Code would be either approved or disapproved. THE SOCIETY OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, INC. 355 Lexington Avenue- New York. N Y 10017 (212)573-9400 SPJ-08957 "'VC Safety Group PVC Fire Safety Committee April 17, 1980 Page 2 He indicated further that only those who had filed comments to the Technical Committee, may make statements from the floor relative to their particular concerns regarding the technical comments as published in the TCD to the National Electric Code. The major concern as expressed by Mr. Van Der Voort, and agreed to by the members present, was the blatant attack by the steel industry to exclude PVC conduit either by direct allegation or by inference from the National Electric Code for 1981. This has occurred on two previous occasions and on both instances the opposition to PVC conduit exclusion have been soundly defeated. The major thrust of the opposition will be to use Factory Mutual Corporation's report to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) on its work relative to PVC conduit. This report underwritten by the Steel Conduit Section of NEMA does not have the endorsement per sae of the parent organization (NEMA) or the Factory Mutual Research Corporation, so says Mr. Van Der Voort. It is therefore, necessary for SPI at its NFPA's "Plastics Information Exchange Center" to have some form of rebuttal (prepared well in advance) for distribution to all those persons who would be involved with the decision making process of organizations. I.e. The North American Fire Marshall's Association and the Health Care Section of NFPA. Mr. Van Der Voort was provided with the names of several key people at the aforementioned organization. He indicated that he would contact them individually as well as speak to representatives of Factory Mutual Research Corp., and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. SPI, through its Coordinating Committee on Consumer Safety and the PVC Fire Safety Group, will be more than willing to support the efforts of the non-metallic conduit section of NEMA to be sure that this blatant action on the part of the steel industry does not succeed at the forthcoming National Fire Protection Association meeting. Mr. Kent introduced Dr. Michael O'Mara, B. F. Goodrich Chemical Co., who discussed the following items: A - Phosgene - a combustion by-product of PVC B - The status of the NBS small scale toxicity protocol. Dr. O'Mara provided initial background on item A which is as follows: The National Bureau of Standards under the guidence of Dr. Merritt Birky and Dr. James E. Brown prepared a report "Phosgene in Thermal Decomposition Products of Polyvinyl Chloride: Generation, Detection and Measurement." This report, distributed as a handout clearly points out that phosgene has been identified as a by-product of combustion of PVC especially in electrical arching mode. The question of toxicological significance has not been resolved nor have there been any tests done on laboratory animals. Consequently, no conclusion has been reached. The possibility that other gases may be present as a result of this electrical arching scenario is very possible. However, there has been nothing done to determine what these gases may be and what effect it would have on laboratory anlamls or anyone who would be exposed to these possibly toxic gases. Dr. O'Mara further concluded by stating that under no circumstances did the NBS contemplate doing animal test work and in their words "they've done as much as they're going to do." Dr. O'Mara indicated that he would now prepare a response to the NBS SPI-08958 PVC Safety Group PVC Fire Safety Committee April 17, 198r Page 3 r report, that he would develop this objective response in the form of a "white paper" and have it distributed to the PVC Safety Group in a format which he believes would be most practical. It would be then the responsibility of the PVC Safety Group to develop a task force to develop a brief, one or two page dissertation for possible distribution at the NFPA meeting should it be necessary. In reference to item B in the aforementioned, the N3S Select Committee on the small scale toxicity protocol, is winding down and expects to have a final report on the round-robin very shortly, ^t a meeting to be held before June 1.) Dr. O'Mara indicated that PVC looks quite good in the incapacitation mode of the testing but, the government doesn't feel that the rat is a good model for incapaci tation caused by acid gases. They may consider going one step further to a primate, such as monkeys. This hasn't been determined as yet. The Committee agreed to include incapacitation in the round-robin and when all is said and done he believes that there would be fairly good corrolation between the lethality and incapacitation. He believes further that the data is good as it is reproducable. He feels that the spread of data is minimum and the model provides good Information with very little variation, and therefore, there is direct corrolation between the lethality and Incapacitation. Most members of the Select Committee feel that a simple 14 day mortality protocol will be favorable, and feels further that the reason for this is that it would be less expensive to conduct the testing since there is fairly good corrolation between the lethality and incapacitation. He continued by saying that the members will adopt lethality verus incapacitation , but not both. He r fpi-ther indicated when questioned, that the protocol would be expected by the end dL California Housing Bureau - Bob Wilging, B. F. Goodrich, provided the background on the current concern in California relative to the toxic substance in portable water piping. He indicated that the organization known as PPFA is handling this, and he provides this information to the PVC Safety Group strictly for their information. Military Standard - Mr. Jim Tanzilli, B. F. Goodrich, reported on the specific exclusion of PVC application in wire insulation currently being adopted by the military and that members of the Committee would be invited to correct this exclusion and this would be done in the very near future. Consumer Product Safety Commission - Mr. Kent reported on the current meeting of the CCCS and CPSC. He indicated that CPSC would be funded to a level of h of a million dollars to do plastics flammability. CPSC is not concerned about PVC at this time. They are more concerned about foams - structural, urethane and styrene. SPI-APME-JPIF - Mr. Kent, reported on the joint international meeting of the European, U.S. and Japanese Plastics Association organizations in October. Combustibility was one of six panels and that the SPI Fire Safety Policy was viewed very favorably and it is being considered as a model for a world fire safety policy on plastics. Mr. Kent concluded his comments by expressing the concern of our European counter parts relative to halogenated materials. Following the reviewing of the films entitled "Sentinels of Survival" relative to residential sprinkler systems, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted. SPl-08959