Flame retardants provide an important layer of fire protection by helping to prevent or slow the spread of fire.
Flame retardants inhibit or suppress the combustion process. They reduce the amount of heat released from a fire and the potential for a fire to spread. Flame retardants can also reduce the amount of smoke produced by a fire.1Source: Hirschler, M. M. (2015). Flame retardants and heat release: review of traditional studies on products and on groups of polymers. Fire and Materials, 39(3), 207-231.
The use of flame retardants is especially important today, as the large volume of electrical and electronic equipment in today’s buildings, coupled with increasingly larger volumes of combustible materials in our homes and offices, can increase the potential for fire hazards.
Flame retardants can provide occupants of a home or building additional life-saving time to escape a fire, as well as time for firefighters to respond to a fire. They can also safeguard against property damage and loss associated with the fire itself or from water damage, whether from automated sprinklers or the response from local authorities.