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A biobased plastic that is said to achieve the world's highest level of flame retardancy has been developed by
Canon and Toray Industries. Called Ecodear®, it includes more than 25% plant-derived polylactic acid (PLA). It
will initially be used in plastic parts for Cannon multifunction office systems, an application that has proved
challenging for biobased plastics. Ecodear achieves 5V classification under the UL94 flammability-testing
program, says Canon USA. Through continued technical development, Canon and Toray hope to achieve further
enhancements in the field of biobased plastics, with the aim of expanding the range of target applications. NEC
Corporation has developed a PLA composite reinforced with kenaf fibers that achieves high heat resistance and
strength. The material currently is being used by NEC in mobile-phone components. The company reports that it
also has added flame retardancy to PLA, without using toxic flame retardants. Another high-heat bioplastic
innovation developed by NEC adds carbon fibers to PLA. The composite material is said to achieve higher heat
conductivity than stainless steel. The company says it expects to reach volume production of bioplastic
composites by the end of the 2009 fiscal year, when plans call for molding housings for electronic products from
the materials. NaturalNano, a developer of advanced nanomaterials and additive technologies based on halloysite
nanotubes (HTN®), is working on a variety of products with extended release properties, including flame
retardants for furniture applications. Nanotubes, with their hollow structure, allow additives to be inserted into
them to create a slow or extended release of the additive concentrate. For FR applications, NaturalNano believes
that flame-retardant compounds can be developed that would release only under extreme heat.
Underwriters Laboratories, the independent product-safety certification organization, has encountered numerous
instances where seemingly insignificant changes in a product's design, raw materials, or manufacturing processes
have caused failure in fire-performance testing--even though the original product passed the tests and received
certification. The key issue is to identify and understand which variables affect safety performance and which do
not, says UL in a white paper, "Assessing the Impact of Variation on Product Fire Safety Performance." The
UL94 flammability test is the most commonly referenced standard in the electrical and electronics sector. A wide
array of testing services for every phase of the product design and product optimization process is available
through UL Analytical Services. They include material characterizations, predictive analysis, root-cause failure
analysis, and others. But, according to UL, whether a company conducts testing in-house or outsources it, a
comprehensive program to assess and measure variation is crucial for meeting fire-safety requirements.
(Source Courtesy: Richard Stewart)
Is All Children's Sleepwear Treated with Flame Retardant Chemicals?
As if we didn't have enough to worry about when it comes to out children's health. Well,
get out your list, and add this to it. Laws require that sleepwear for children from 9
months to 14 years be treated with flame retardant chemicals. Most commonly this
would be Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE's.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE, are organobromine compounds that are used
as flame retardants. Like other brominated flame retardants, PBDEs have been used in a
wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor
vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles. They are structurally akin
to the PCBs and other polyhalogenated compounds, consisting of two halogenated
aromatic rings. PBDEs are classified according to the average number of bromine atoms
in the molecule. The health hazards of these chemicals have attracted increasing
scrutiny, and they have been shown to reduce fertility in humans at levels found in
households. Their chlorine analogs are polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs).
Because of their toxicity and persistence, their industrial production is to be eliminated
under the Stockholm Convention, a treaty to control and phase out major persistent
organic pollutants (POP).
PBDEs bioaccumulate in blood, breast milk, and fat tissues (and the environment),
impaired development of the nervous system, liver toxicity,disruption of thyroid
functions, peer-reviewed studies have shown that even a single dose administered to mice
during development of the brain can cause permanent changes in behavior, including
hyperactivity, children with higher concentrations of PBDEs in their umbilical cord
blood at birth scored lower on tests of mental and physical development between the
ages of one and six, Developmental effects were particularly evident at four years of age,
when verbal and full IQ scores were reduced 5.5 to 8.0 points for those with the highest
prenatal exposures.
• Buy organic. Any pajamas labeled organic do not contain flame retardants
• Buy pajamas that include a bright yellow tag stating that the garment is either "not
intended as children's sleepwear", "Meant to fit tightly", or "is not treated with
flame retardants". The same law that requires pajamas to be treated, allows for
these exemptions as long as the bright yellow tag is present.
• ALL man made materials, fleece, polyester, etc. contain flame retardants, whether
or not they are pajamas, and whether or not they are intended as children's
sleepwear. The difference is in HOW they contain flame retardants. During the
manufacturing process, flame retardants are often bound to the molecules in the
fabric, and the fabric as a whole may not be treated again, post production.
• Wool and/or cotton pajamas which are tight fitting, labeled organic, or bear the
yellow tag mentioned above...are free of flame retardants
CAS NO 110-34-0