Flame Retardants : Part of
the Solution to Fire Safety
Kasturirangan Kannah,
Chairman, FRAI
Ahmedabad, 25th October , 2013
Contents
• Introduction to BSEF / Flame Retardants Association of India
• Fire statistics and learnings
• Overview of flame retardants
• Role of fire safety standards
• Conclusions
2
BSEF/ FRAI
• Albermale
• Chemtura
• ICL-IP
• Solaris Chemtech
3
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)
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
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
European nations are “top of the
range” benchmarks for reducing
incidents.
Despite a
population
higher than
India, China
loses fewer
lives to fire
* Statistics for 2008 from- The Geneva Association World Fire Statistics 2011,
Source: National Crime Records Bureau, NFPA 2010, The Geneva Association- World Fire Statistics 2011, Avalon Consulting Analysis
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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)
* Computed figure based on insurance (Rs. 4592 Cr) and extrapolated based on insurance penetration (~30%) and indirect
productivity loss estimates (3 times)
Source: NCRB , World Fire Statistics - October 2011 (all countries except India), Expert Interviews, Avalon Consulting Research
and Analysis
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Fire incidents and deaths have been
growing at 5%
Fire-related Incidents, Deaths and Persons Injured
All India Fire Incident Statistics 2000-10
Source: NCRB, Avalon Consulting Research and Analysis
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Fire-related deaths in India by cause of
fire (No. of lives, 2011)
As per National Crime Records Bureau Report 2012
Based on Expert Inputs
Consists of causes
such as forest fires,
arson, lamps,
incense sticks,
cigarettes etc.
A significant
portion of the
deaths remain
unexplained
Total: 24,576 Lives
Total: 24,576 Lives
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Fire safety in hospitals and other public
places
There have been many tragic fire incidents in hospitals in India
AMRI Hospital Fire (2011)
Mumbai
94 dead, 60 injured
Cause of Fire: Inflammable
material
There is a need for stringent fire safety regulations
for hospitals
“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”
Govt Stanley Medical College
Hospital (2012)
Chennai
5 injured
Cause of fire : Short Circuit
Columbia Hospital Fire
(2012)
Bengaluru
No deaths
Cause of fire :
Inflammable material
“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”
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Fires in trains
The 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
Tamil Nadu Express Fire
(2012):
32 Killed
25 Injured
Cause of Fire: Under
investigation (suspected shortcircuit)
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“
- )
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
Tata Nano Fires (2010-11)
Across India
1 injured, no loss of lives
Cause of Fires : Short Circuit
Maruti Omni Fire (2012)
Mumbai
No loss of lives
Cause of Fire : Short Circuit
Hyundai Accent Fire
(2012)
New Delhi
No loss of lives
Cause of Fire : Short
Circuit/ CNG cylinder
explosion
Mahindra Scorpio Fire (2008)
Hyderabad
No loss of lives
Cause of Fire : Short Circuit
Honda City Fire (2011)
Mumbai
No loss of lives
Cause of Fire : Short Circuit
* Detailed Case Study Presented in Annexure
Source: Secondary Research, Avalon Consulting Research and Analysis
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Fire safety of temporary structures
There have been many tragic incidents of fires in temporary
structures in India
Srirangam Marriage Fire
(2004)
Srirangam
49 dead, 50 injured
Cause of Fire: Short Circuit
Experts opine that stringent fire safety requirements
for temporary structures are necessary…
“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”
Kumbakonam Sri Krishna
Girls High School Fire (2004)
Kumbakonam
83 dead,27 injured
Cause of fire : Short Circuit
Meerut Trade Fair Fire (2006)
Meerut
64 dead, 80 injured
Cause of fire : Short Circuit
“"The National Building Code- Part IV,
deals with fire protection, but it does not
mention specifications for temporary
structures'
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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
Brominated
Chlorinated
Mineral
Others…
Phosphorus
• 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
Enclosures
Flame retardants
Plastic: ABS
Plastic: HIPS
Plastic: PC/ABS
Plastic: HIPS/PPO
Printed circuit boards
Flame retardants
Brominated Epoxy
Cables
Flame retardants
Plastic: PE
Plastic: PP
Plastic: EPDM
Connectors
Flame retardants
Plastic: PA
Plastic: Other ETP
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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 retardants
Fire 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
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