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From: Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**CS.COM>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Flame Resistance & Lab Coats
Date: January 29, 2013 2:14:08 PM EST
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <000c01cdfdb2$a3828b60$ea87a220$**At_Symbol_Here**chemical-safety.com>

Demystify: 

Yes, the no fabric softener advice is applicable to inherently FR fabrics and goes double for the treated ones.  Some fabrics will have a warning on their laundry advice tags and some fabric softeners have warnings about using the product on retarded fabrics. And this includes children's clothing and bedding which come under CPSCs FR standards.  Besides, the stuff smells.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President:  Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012     212-777-0062
actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com   www.artscraftstheatersafety.org

 
-----Original Message-----
From: NEAL LANGERMAN <neal**At_Symbol_Here**CHEMICAL-SAFETY.COM>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Sent: Tue, Jan 29, 2013 5:43 am
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Flame Resistance & Lab Coats

All - the last paragraph of Monona=E2=80™s post:
 
I also suggest you all make sure your written procedures forbid the use of fabric softeners or dryer sheets when lab coats are laundered.  These softeners coat the fibers with chemicals that make them more combustible..  The softeners also separate and fluff the fibers which increases susceptibility to burning.  
 
Is applicable to Nomex and other inherently FR fabrics.  I launder my own coveralls (self-employed),  I run my washer empty with only water.  I then put in my coveralls and run then with Tide or other low additive detergent, no fabric softener.
 
It is a pain but nowhere near the pain of deep tissue burns.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standard confidentiality terms apply
 
NEAL LANGERMAN, Ph.D.
ADVANCED CHEMICAL SAFETY, Inc.
PO Box 152329
SAN DIEGO CA 92195
011(619) 990-4908 (phone, 24/7)
www.chemical-safety.com
 
 
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Monona Rossol
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 1:47 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Flame Resistance & Lab Coats
 
My expertise is in flame retarding theatrical curtains, cycs, costumes etc.  And there is no way I would take a treated fabric over one that is inherently fire retarded like Nomex.  All of the applied chemical retardants fail.  And they are not all boron compounds as implied in one post.  There are a flock of very different chemicals used and often they are trade secrets on top of it.
 
Theatrical curtains come with a certificate telling you when they must be retreated.  If they are inherently resistant, there is no time limit except the common sense one of checking to see when there there is so much dust on the fabric the dust itself becomes a fire issue.  As the rule, theatrical curtains are not regularly cleaned.  And when they are, the treated curtain's certificate is voided and it must be retreated. 
 
The CPSC and ASTM have fire retarded fabric standard tests that include laundering tests.  We use at these standards when costumes need to be retarded as when fire or pyro will be used on stage.   Recently, these CPSC standards were updated to include modern washing machines and detergents.  But it is clear there could be some unpleasant surprises in the speed with which the retarding chemicals are removed because the formulas of detergent products are constantly changing and new chemicals that CPSC and ASTM did not consider are being added.
 
I also suggest you all make sure your written procedures forbid the use of fabric softeners or dryer sheets when lab coats are laundered.  These softeners coat the fibers with chemicals that make them more combustible..  The softeners also separate and fluff the fibers which increases susceptibility to burning.   You might notice that all drier sheets now come in dispensers that only release one sheet at a time.  When they were on a roll, they became the preferred choice of arsonists who could use them like a giant long fuse.
 
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President:  Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012     212-777-0062

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Robin M. Izzo <rmizzo**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Sent: Mon, Jan 28, 2013 11:54 am
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Flame Resistance & Lab Coats
Russ,
 
I will look for the literature on this, but to quickly answer about the treated 
coats vs. Nomex, the companies that sell the treated coats say that the fire 
resistance begins to fail after two years.  The Nomex is more expensive, but the 
fire resistance does not fade.
 
I have seen some literature on all but the human toxicity of the treated FR 
coats.
 
Thanks,
Robin
 
 
Robin M. Izzo, M.S.
Associate Director, EHS
Princeton University
609-258-6259 (office)
 
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
~ Mark Twain  
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of 
Russell Vernon
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 1:01 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Flame Resistance & Lab Coats
 
So the discussion in the UC Lab Safety world now includes flame retardant lab 
coats and human/environmental potential consequences.
 
I would greatly appreciate being pointed toward information that would help us 
more intelligently discuss these concerns:
 
How good are FR coats in a real flammable liquid fire? How does that compare to 
non-FR lab coats?
Are the treated cloth lab coats inferior to the "Nomex" type? 
Do the modern treated FR coats demonstrate any human toxicity or environmental 
adverse effects?
 
Literature that may help us in answering these kinds of questions is what I am 
asking you to help me find.
 
Sincerely,
-Russ
 
 
 
Russell Vernon, Ph.D.
 
Director
 
Environmental Health & Safety
 
University of California Riverside
 
900 University Ave
 
EH&S
Riverside, CA 92521
 
www.ehs.ucr.edu
 
russell.vernon**At_Symbol_Here**ucr.edu
 
direct 951.827.5119
 
admin 951.827.5528
 
fax 951.827.5122
 
after hours emergency contact UCPD 951.827.5222
 
________________________________________
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] on behalf of Secretary, 
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG]
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 10:50 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (12 articles)
 
From: Melissa Charlton-Smith <charltonsmith**At_Symbol_Here**wvwc.edu>
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (12 articles)
Date: January 25, 2013 1:33:49 PM EST
 
>Nitric acid is aqueous, so how can it be flammable (in the Tripoli 
>story)
 
Possibly someone who KNOWS told the reporter that it's an oxidizer and at 
certain concentrations can cause combustion in contact with combustible 
materials.....and the reporter took the short root to "it's flammable".

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