
Following action from MP Ann Main, the UK government has announced that regulations will be introduced to require all children’s fancy dress costumes to be flame-retardant. Proposals to allow non flame retardant plastic foams in residential construction have been rejected by the International Code Council (ICC, for the International Building Code IBC).
At present, IBC requires that polymer foams used in building conform to the ASTM E84 Steiner Tunnel Test Class B. The proposals (FS170, FS171) concerned only foams separated from building interiors by concrete or masonry. They were rejected, amongst other reasons, because of risks of confusion on building sites resulting in use of dangerous non flame retardant foams in building interiors, so posing fire risks. Similar proposal were already rejected in 2013 IRC and 2014 IgCC discussions.