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Successful discussions at the International Seminar on Passive Protection (SIPP 2019) in São Paulo, Brazil

For another year ABICHAMA was one of the sponsors of the International Seminar on Passive Protection, the SIPP, which took place on August 14 and 15, in São Paulo, Brazil. The event is the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Association of Passive Fire Protection (ABPP) and the Institute of Technological Research (IPT), through the Fire and Explosion Safety Laboratory / CETAC (LSFEx), with the objective of conducting a meeting bringing international references, addressing current challenges and problems, as well as stimulating the dissemination of knowledge, innovation and technology to the Brazilian market.

This year, in addition to sponsor the event, ABICHAMA reinforced its presence with the participation of the association’s president, Lilian Salim, who was one of the moderators. Lilian hosted the first panel of the event, which was entitled Current Solutions in Passive Protection, and featured presentations by Tom McGuiness of Kingspan (Performance of Composite Panels Incorporating Combustible Materials), Mike Kerrison of UNIFRAX USA (Fire protection of metal ducts used for smoke and grease exhaust) and Dr Matthew Blais, who was invited by ABICHAMA to attend the event. At the time, he presented his lecture

During his presentation, on “Flammability for current upholstery, appliances and mattresses Dr Matthew Blais (see picture below)  talked about the performance of the materials in fire situations, using the examples of the fire tests conducted in conjunction with the Southwest Research Institute.

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Matthew clarified the idea of smoke toxicity originated from flame retardant furniture and the amount of smoke generated which, according to the tests, showed that furniture with flame retardants produced less than half the smoke produced by unprotected furniture. Among the key points highlighted by Matthew during the presentation were:

  • Flame Retardants protected items may produce less smoke because of the reduced combustion (Less mass converted in the fire) but produce more smoke an a per gram basis in most cases.
  • Components of Fire Retardants and non-FR smoke do vary, the toxicity of the variance is being measured in separate studies to be released this year.
  • FR layered fabric and FR protected foams are highly protective easily passing the highest furniture standard for fire safety.

Dr. Matthew Blais presentation was very successful, and he also had the opportunity to meet with Colonel Cajaty of the Federal District Military Fire Department – one of the top exeprts regarding fire safety in Brazil.

Dr Matthew Blais and Colonel Cajaty were able to exchange knowledge about what has been done about passive safety in Brazil and the United States.

About BSEF:

BSEF – the International Bromine Council, is the global representative body for bromine producers and producers of bromine technologies. Originally founded in 1997, BSEF works to foster knowledge on the societal benefits of bromine and its applications. The members of BSEF are Albemarle Corporation, ICL Industrial Products, Lanxess and Tosoh.

Further information: Visit www.bsef.org to learn more and follow BSEF on Twitter @BromineInfo for the latest news and information.