Layout 2 - University of Central Lancashire

Flame retardants that
fan fire deaths
Research confirms toxic gases released from some flame
retardant materials are number one cause of fire fatalities.
Remarkable new research has discovered toxic
gases released from some specialist flame
retardant materials are the number one cause
of death in fires.
Dr Anna Stec, from the School of Forensic and
Investigative Sciences, undertook research to
demonstrate how some of the flame retardants
added to items such as carpets, furniture
upholstery and plastics to suppress the visible
flames in fires are actually increasing the danger
of invisible toxic gases. Dr Stec has proven beyond
all doubt that these toxic gases are the main
killers in fatalities involving fire.
The research focused on the most widely-used
category of flame retardants, which contain the
chemical element bromine. Scientists term these
‘halogen-based’ flame retardants because bromine
is in a group of elements called halogens.
“Halogen-based flame retardants are effective in
reducing the ignitability of materials,” explained
Dr Stec, a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and Fire
Science within UCLan’s Centre for Fire and
Hazards Science.
“We found, however, that flame retardants have
the undesirable effect of increasing the amounts
of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide
released during combustion. These gases, not the
thermal effects of burns on the body, are the
number one cause of fire deaths.”
Dr Stec and her team tested brominated flame
retardants with antimony synergists, mineralbased
flame retardants and so-called intumescent
agents, which swell when heated, forming a
barrier that flames cannot penetrate.
Unlike halogen-based retardants, mineral-based
fire retardants have little effect on fire toxicity.
Most intumescent fire retardants reduce the
amount of potentially toxic gases released in a fire.
The UCLan academic presented the findings of
her new study in San Diego at the 243rd National
Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical
Society, the world's largest scientific society.
Almost 10,000 deaths from fires occur in
industrialised countries worldwide each year.
Contrary to popular belief, inhalation of toxic
gases released by burning materials, and not
burns, causes the most deaths and the majority
of the serious injuries.
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