Health and environment risks in building insulation, US study finds 26 November 2012

Researchers in the US are calling for changes to building codes, following a study that suggests mandatory flame retardants for foam insulation are not only harmful to human health and the environment, but also don't reduce fire risk in buildings with a fire-safe thermal barrier.

Such a change would bring the US building codes in line with regulations in Sweden and Norway.

The research team conducted a review of fire safety literature since the mid-1970s and concluded that the addition of halogenated organic compounds to plastic insulation materials – such as polystyrene, polyisocyanurate and polyurethane – is costly, ineffective and environmentally damaging.

Their conclusions are published in the latest issue of the journal Building Research and Information.

Led by internationally renowned fire expert Dr Vytenis Babrauskas of Fire Science & Technology, the team investigated the impact of the Steiner Tunnel test, used to examine the propagation of fire over the surface of building materials in the early stages of fire, before flashover.

Their paper suggests that changing the US building codes to exempt foam plastic insulation materials from the test would avoid the use of thousands of tonnes of flame retardants known or suspected to be persistent organic pollutants.

"Such a change would … decrease the cost of foam plastic insulation and encourage the use of insulation materials for increasing building energy efficiency and mitigating climate change," says their report.

"The potential for health and ecological harm from the use of flame retardant chemicals would be reduced and the fire safety of buildings would be maintained."

The research team was drawn from US-based centres of excellence, including the University of California and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Brian Tinham

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