SleepTech_January - February 2019

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