European Flame Retardants Association EFRA
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| http:// www.cefic-efra.com |
c/o Cefic
Avenue E. van Nieuwenhuyse 4 bte.2
BE-1160 Brussels
Tel.
+32 2 676 72 86
Fax
+32 2 676 73 92
E-Mail: efra@cefic.be
Profile
Flame retardants save lives and property and protect the environement by helping to prevent fires from starting. It is possible to treat most portentially flammable organic materials in the modern world with special additives to make them more difficult to ignite and spread fire.Use of these additives - flame retardants - plays a major role in fire prevention.
In Europe each year, we pay terrible human cost for the hundreds of thousands of fires, 75% of these happen in the home, often at night. As a result, 4000 of our fellow citizens die and another 80000 suffer terrible burns. These deaths and injuries are cncentrated among the most vulnerable members of our community: children under 5 and the elderly.
Flame Retardants are additives that can be added to or applied as atreatmet to organic materials such as plastics, textiles and timber. Alternatively they can be used during the production process as a chemical modification of some plastic materials.
Their effect is to reduce the chances of a fire starting by providing increased resistance to ignition.
Even if ignition does occur, flame retardants will act to delay the spread of flame, providing extra time in the early stages when the fire can be extinguishedor an escape can be made. Used in combination with smoke detectors, fire alarms and sprinkler systems, flame reardants provide the most effective method available of protecting life and property.
