CHEMISTRY OF FIRE RETARDANTS Fire is a leth

There are several fire types and "hazard situations": nonflaming/smoldering fires, early or small flaming fires, and fully developed large-scale (called post-flashover) fires (The British Plastics Federation, 1990, p. 207). Nonflaming/smoldering fires can start from overheating of vulnerable substances or can be self-sustaining over a long period of time, after which the fire may finally break out into flame. The hazard of toxic gases gradually filling the atmosphere can lead to the incapacitation of anyone in the affected area. The goal of fire retardant developers, therefore, is to ensure that the production of toxic gas is not a dominant result of a materials decomposition.

Fire retardants play a significant role in early or small flaming fires by reducing the chance of flaming ignition and by slowing the rate of fire growth. As with smoldering fires, however, the production of toxic gases is a problem. Considered most effective on the early stages of fire growth, it is unclear the extent to which fire ret

. . .
e basic concept behind hydrated materials is that they work by releasing water during decomposition caused by being exposed to heat, thus dousing the flames. Mg(OH)2, however, is an even more effective flame retardant, especially as a filler in polypropylene. In addition, it "is an effective smoke suppressant . . . and promotes char formation (Society of Plastics Engineers..., 1985, p. 123)." Char formation is an important factor in flame retardants because it "insulates lower layers from imposed heat flux (The British Plastics Federation, 1990, p. 200)." Chlorine and bromine have long been established as effective flame retardants, whether physically incorporated into an organic polymer or as part of the polymer structure itself. As noted above, however, these "halogenated" polymers have been found to produce dangerous levels of smoke and corrosive gases during combustion as well as to form corrosive acids when combined with water, leading to the need to develop fire retardants with less toxic side effects that are just as efficient. Because of this demand for "nontoxic flame- and smoke-suppressant systems for synthetic polymers, certain inorganic tin compounds have been evaluated as fire retardants (The British Plastics
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Plastics Federation, Plastics Engineers, RETARDANTS Fire, ZnSnOH6 ZnSnO3, H20 Phenolics, british plastics, plastics federation 1990, british plastics federation, British Plastics, plastics federation, federation 1990, fire retardants, Society Plastics, Association Yehaskel, Chemicals Association, society plastics engineers, plastics engineers, society plastics, plastics engineers 1985, engineers 1985, fire retardant, References Bhatnagar, flame retardants, flame retardant, federation 1990 200,
Approximate Word count = 1489
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)