Flame retardant chemicals do work … are an important part of our fire safety protection systems ” says Alexander Morgan, a global leading fire expert at University of Drayton, USA. In a 3-page, independent article (no financial support from any organisation) in the Journal of Fire Sciences, supported by nearly thirty science references, Dr. Morgan considers that “It is a blatant falsehood that flame retardants do not work, and it is something that all fire safety scientists should speak up about”. Flame retardants, he underlines, are effective in the fire scenarios for which they are designed, but cannot be effective in all situations. That is a reason to develop new FRs for new challenges (such as lithium ion batteries), not to abandon fire safety. Dr. Morgan also underlines that some flame retardants have been found to be problematic for health or the environment, but that others are known to be safe, citing the inorganic PIN FR MDH (magnesium hydroxide) which is also the active ingredient of the stomach calming tablets “Milk of Magnesia”. Fire safety should not be rolled-back “because someone does not want to use FR chemicals. It is possible to have fire safety AND environmental safety”.
“The well-meaning but misguided rollback of fire safety in the United States”, A. Morgan, J. Fire Sciences https://doi.org/10.1177/07349041221096609