Flame Retardants : Part of the Solution to Fire SafetyKasturirangan Kannah, Chairman, FRAIAhmedabad, 25th October , 2013

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Contents

• Introduction to BSEF / Flame Retardants Association of India

• Fire statistics and learnings

• Overview of flame retardants

• Role of fire safety standards

• Conclusions

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BSEF/ FRAI

• Albermale

• Chemtura

• ICL-IP

• Solaris Chemtech

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India loses about 25,000 lives annually to fire…Deaths Caused by Fire ( No. of Lives per 100,000 population)

Fire related deaths in Key Nations (2010)

Source: National Crime Records Bureau, NFPA 2010, The Geneva Association- World Fire Statistics 2011, Avalon Consulting Analysis

India faces one of the highest rate of deaths due to fires in

the world

Russia sees significantly high

deaths predominantly

due to large wild fires

* Statistics for 2008 from- The Geneva Association World Fire Statistics 2011,

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India’s topping the list in fire related deaths is owing to a combination of high population, and higher incidence. Countries like China and Brazil

could be benchmarks for India to reduce the incidence

Despite a population higher than India, China loses fewer lives to fire

European nations are “top of the range” benchmarks for reducing

incidents.

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Impact of fires on the Indian economy ~ $ 15-20 bn (0.8-1.0% of GDP)

Fire loss as a % of GDP (Direct and Indirect)

Source: NCRB , World Fire Statistics - October 2011 (all countries except India), Expert Interviews, Avalon Consulting Research and Analysis

* Computed figure based on insurance (Rs. 4592 Cr) and extrapolated based on insurance penetration (~30%) and indirect productivity loss estimates (3 times)

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Fire incidents and deaths have been growing at 5%

All India Fire Incident Statistics 2000-10

Source: NCRB, Avalon Consulting Research and Analysis

Fire-related Incidents, Deaths and Persons Injured

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Fire-related deaths in India by cause of fire (No. of lives, 2011)

Total: 24,576 Lives

As per National Crime Records Bureau Report 2012

Consists of causes such as forest

fires, arson, lamps, incense sticks, cigarettes etc.

Based on Expert Inputs

Total: 24,576 Lives

A significant portion of the deaths remain unexplained

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Fire safety in hospitals and other public places

Columbia Hospital Fire (2012)BengaluruNo deathsCause of fire : Inflammable material

AMRI Hospital Fire (2011)Mumbai94 dead, 60 injuredCause of Fire: Inflammable material

Govt Stanley Medical College Hospital (2012)

Chennai5 injured

Cause of fire : Short Circuit

“There are insufficient provisions mandating use of flame retardant products in hospitals and hotels, where the threat of fire is high, and the spread of fire is mainly due to furnishings”

“Even hospitals and hotels except for 5 star hotels do not use flame retardant foam products, and these can result in significant spread of the fire very rapidly”

“Even in places like hospitals and hotels, where impact of a fire is high, the furnishings are not mandated to be flame retardant and most architects/ interior designers do not check the same in the products used”

There have been many tragic fire incidents in hospitals in IndiaThere is a need for stringent fire safety regulations

for hospitals

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Fires in trainsThe fire in Tamil Nadu express bound from Chennai to New

Delhi resulted in significant loss of lives

While the fire is attributed to a short circuit, inability to escape from the coaches bought about a number

of deaths

“There was a short circuit near the toilet and the train was moving at a speed of 110 kms per hour. It was going to Chennai from Delhi. All the passengers were asleep when the fire broke out. People were not able to come out immediately"The fire spread fast and the passengers could not come out through one of the doors because of the fire. So the other edge of the coach was to be used. Some people could come out while others succumbed to death“

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Tamil Nadu Express Fire (2012):32 Killed25 InjuredCause of Fire: Under investigation (suspected short-circuit)

There are ample indications that the 2nd class coach did not conform to fire safety standards as set by

RDSO… the snail-paced implementation of the new standards is not advisable for India

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Fires in cars

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Source: Secondary Research, Avalon Consulting Research and Analysis

Tata Nano Fires (2010-11)Across India1 injured, no loss of livesCause of Fires : Short Circuit

Maruti Omni Fire (2012)MumbaiNo loss of livesCause of Fire : Short Circuit

Mahindra Scorpio Fire (2008)HyderabadNo loss of livesCause of Fire : Short Circuit

Hyundai Accent Fire (2012)

New DelhiNo loss of lives

Cause of Fire : Short Circuit/ CNG cylinder

explosion

Honda City Fire (2011)Mumbai

No loss of livesCause of Fire : Short Circuit

* Detailed Case Study Presented in Annexure

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Fire safety of temporary structures

Meerut Trade Fair Fire (2006)Meerut64 dead, 80 injuredCause of fire : Short Circuit

Srirangam Marriage Fire (2004)Srirangam49 dead, 50 injuredCause of Fire: Short Circuit

Kumbakonam Sri Krishna Girls High School Fire (2004)

Kumbakonam83 dead,27 injured

Cause of fire : Short Circuit

“Significant loss of lives observed in the Meerut fire could have been avoided if the tents had used flame retardant material…in the absence of stringent regulations, such incidents will happen again”

“Temporary structures pose a high fire hazard and there is a need for stringent regulations on the same considering the number of people who are affected by the fires”

“"The National Building Code- Part IV, deals with fire protection, but it does not mention specifications for temporary structures'

There have been many tragic incidents of fires in temporary structures in India

Experts opine that stringent fire safety requirements for temporary structures are

necessary…

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Causes of fire development and losses • “ Electrical short circuits” dominate in terms of primary cause

• This explanation covers a wide range of secondary issues

• Insufficient flammability protection for wire & cable and other electrical components

• Any flammable elements in the vicinity will add to the fire load

• Note advent of synthetic polymers in the last 40 – 50 years

• Fires tend to propagate quickly in such circumstances

• Smoke and toxic combustion gases are also killers

• Often limited opportunity for intervention or escape

• Hence fire losses – property damage, injuries and deaths – tend to be greater than if fire is retarded

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Overview of flame retardants Halogenated Mineral

Phosphorus

Others…

Brominated Chlorinated

• Based on a variety of elements and chemical compositions

• Several commercial flame retardants in each of these classes

• Each flame retardant has its own unique physical, chemical and toxicological property

• Therefore, each flame retardant should be treated on its own merits and not considered as a cluster when choosing them

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Major flame retardants found in electronic parts

Plastic: ABSPlastic: HIPSPlastic: PC/ABSPlastic: HIPS/PPO

Brominated Epoxy

Plastic: PEPlastic: PPPlastic: EPDM

Enclosures

Printed circuit boards

Cables

Connectors

Plastic: PAPlastic: Other ETP

Flame retardants

Flame retardants

Flame retardants

Flame retardants

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How flame retardants work

• Interruption of radical mechanism of combustion in the gas phase• Reaction in the solid phase to form a carbonaceous char • Endothermic processes, such as release of water

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Benefits of flame retardantsFire safety action• Avoiding ignition• If ignition occurs: auto extinguishing• Slowing down the combustion process• Give enough time for people to escape• Facilitating fire-fighters intervention• Maintain a viable atmosphere for a longer

period• Several examples of the life saving benefits of flame retardants

UK Furniture Regulations : >1000 lives • areyousittingcomfortably

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The role of fire safety codes and standards • Fire safety codes and product standards are powerful weapons in the fight

against fire

• Mandated for a whole range of products

• Examples : switches, relays, printed circuit boards, wire and cable, upholstered

furniture, textile fabrics, televisions, conveyor belts, thermal insulation...

• National Building Code and National Electricity Code

• Specific fire safety standards underpin these codes

• Some sectors have stand alone standards

• Reducing flammability is the objective

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Conclusions and recommendations• Losses due to fire are a big cost to Indian society

• Fire prevention should be given equal emphasis to mitigation

• Key sectors : public places, pandals and transportation

• Key applications : foams, technical textiles and electrical components

• Bureau of Indian Standards are well resourced and competent Robust

standards required backed up by strict enforcement

• Risk assessment should guide all decision making

• Industry should support and not resist change

• Flame retardants are part of the solution

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Thank You