Low Smoke Halogen Free - UL2885 I’m not Halogenated, Gendon had me tested
UL2885 I’m not Halogenated, Gendon had
me tested!
The term Halogen Free as it pertains to wire and cable products can be
somewhat misleading. Cable producers utilize the term Halogen Free
to indicate a perceived higher level of safety with a specific cable due
to the absence of halogens in the flame-retardant system. As we
discuss below however, this term can be confusing, and in some cases
misleading.
As presented in the “Ask Gendon” section of www.Gendon.com,
halogens are very powerful materials for imparting flame retardant
properties in organic based wire and cable compounds. But what
specifically are halogens? The chemical definition for a halogen is one
of the elements listed in Group 7A of the Periodic Table of Elements.
While this definition is technically accurate, only a few of the halogens
listed are actually used in wire and cable products.
For our purposes, halogens are flame retardant chemicals containing
one or more of three specific elements in Group 7A, namely Fluorine,
Chlorine or Bromine. These halogens can be used in Wire and Cable
formulations as either a bound component of the base polymer system,
such as FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) or PVC (Polyvinyl
Chloride), or a separate ingredient compounded into the actual
formulation targeted at flame improvement properties, such as one of
the many Organic Based Brominated or Chlorinated products
commercially available in the market today.
While halogenated compounds are very good at imparting flame
retardant properties to Wire and Cable materials, they do so at a cost.
As discussed in the White Paper “Low Smoke Halogen Free, A Safer
Jacket” found on the Gendon.com website, halogenated materials upon
burning release the base acid of the halogen used in the Flame
Retardant system as a by-product of combustion. This acid is present
in the smoke generated during combustion, and can cause significant
damage to Electrical and Electronic Equipment, as well as personnel
exposed to the smoke.
One would think then that the designation of Halogen Free, or Low
Smoke Zero Halogen on a cable would denote the complete absence of
halogens in the cable design – but this is not always the case. There
are a plethora of standardized test methods referenced that are targeted
at determination of the toxicity of gasses evolved during combustion.
Unfortunately, some of these test methods do not specifically identify
the presence of halogens in the system, concentrating only on the
toxicity of the gasses generated during a controlled burn test. While
halogens can play a role in the toxicity level of the gasses, it is possible
to have a halogenated based system and still pass the toxicity
requirements of many cable specifications.
To address this, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has published a new
standard, UL2885 “Acid Gas, Acidity and Conductivity of Combusted
Materials and Assessment of Halogens”. In this standard, UL defines
Issued: March 2017
a specific methodology, based on the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) 62821 series, to quantitatively certify that materials
used in Wire and Cable constructions are indeed Halogen Free. Once
submitted, tested and approved, materials that successfully pass the test
protocol will be included in the UL Recognition Category “Acid Gas,
Acidity and Conductivity of Combusted Materials and Assessment of
Halogens” available through Underwriters Laboratories. Cable
manufacturers using the materials listed as Halogen Free can then
utilize the optional “–HF” marking in the UL legend without
submitting the material to further testing.
The main benefit of this program is that the end user now has
certification from Underwriters Laboratories that the material used in
their cable has been tested to a defined protocol specifically designed
to test for the presence of Halogens, and been found to be Halogen
Free. Furthermore, since the manufacturer of the material tested is now
part of the UL FUS (Follow up Services), end users can be assured that
the material is periodically retested and confirmation of the Halogen
Free status attained.
Gendon Polymers is aggressively pursuing the listing of all pertinent
Halogen Free materials for inclusion under this UL program. As the
use of Halogen Free products expand in the marketplace, Gendon
Polymers feels it is of paramount importance to have a standardized
definition of Halogen Free for our customers. The new program
outlined under UL2885 provides this definition, and assures our
customers that the approved materials are both tested to an
internationally recognized standard, and subjected to a rigorous follow
up testing protocol by Underwriters Laboratories to assure the status
of the material does not change over the life of the product. This will
give our customers, and ultimately the end user of the cable, assurance
that the material used on their cable is indeed halogen free.
Please check periodically in the “Products” tab of our website for
materials to be added to the UL 2885 Standard as eligible for the
optional –HF marking.
Timothy B Bruewer
Sales and Marketing Manager
Gendon Polymer Services
38 Nixon Road
Bolton, ON L7E 1W2
Canada
(905) 951-6118 Office
(870) 918-2435 Cell