Over 300 experts in industrial plastics and in plastics fire safety met in Cologne, Germany, at the 10th AMI conference on “Fire Resistance in Plastics” to discuss developments in flame retardant technologies and applications in plastics, regulations and testing and challenges to flame retardant chemical acceptance and use.
Participants were from 23 countries worldwide and represented industries including polymers, compounding, flame retardants, cables manufacturers, electrical and electronics equipment producers, timber protection and R&D.
Conference proceedings: http://www.amiplastics.com
Upcoming AMI polymer flame retardancy conferences:
- USA: 3-4 May 2016, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
- Europe: 6-8 Dec 2016, Cologne, Germany
Noru Tsalic, AMI (Applied Market Information), opened the conference with the challenge of “The next frontiers in fire retardancy markets”, questioning how industry can re-establish the legitimacy of flame retardants as essential for protecting human lives. In 2013, fires caused over 3 000 deaths and nearly 16 000 injuries in the USA, despite reductions in smoking and installation of smoke alarms, so it is not an issue society can dismiss. Regulation is necessary and justified. In developing countries, the problem is much greater, with e.g. over 60 000 fire deaths per year in India alone. Mr Tsalic concludes that the flame retardant industry’s two frontiers for coming years are to convince the public to desire fire safety and recognise flame retardants as an essential part of this and to take fire safety to developing countries, to save lives, by fire safety regulation in these countries and importantly its implementation