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94<br />
HTE<br />
EVENTS<br />
Many flame retardants have been removed from the market<br />
or are no longer produced. However, because they do<br />
not easily break down, they can remain persistent in the<br />
environment for years.<br />
Flame-retardant finishes provide textiles with an important<br />
performance characteristic. Protection of consumers<br />
from unsafe fabric is only one area where flame retardancy<br />
is needed. Firefighters and emergency personnel require<br />
protection from flames as they go about their duties. Floor<br />
coverings, upholstery and drapery also need protection,<br />
especially when used in public buildings. The military and<br />
the airline industry have multiple needs for flame-retardant<br />
textiles.<br />
The requirements for a commercially successful flame-retardant<br />
textile product have been given as meeting flammability<br />
requirements: having little or no adverse effect<br />
on the textile’s physical properties; retaining the textile’s<br />
aesthetics and physiological properties; being produced by<br />
a simple process with conventional equipment and inexpensive<br />
chemicals; and being durable to repeated home<br />
launderings, tumble dryings and dry cleaning. It has been<br />
possible to meet these requirements for many textile products<br />
since before 1983 and our society enjoys a safer environment<br />
as a result.<br />
Progress is continuing in this field and recent reviews have<br />
highlighted advances in the understanding and chemistry<br />
of flame-retardants, but progress has been relatively slow<br />
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2019</strong>
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