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Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Seeking Chemical Management Advice

Date: Feb 16, 2026 14:50 UTC

Author: 000006c59248530b-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU

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Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] New fire type classification

Date: Feb 16, 2026 18:46 UTC

Author: Neal Langerman <chemsaf**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM>

From: Info <info**At_Symbol_Here**ILPI.COM>

Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] New fire type classification

Date: Feb 16, 2026 18:23 UTC

Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>

Message-ID: <23EF0143-EA67-4C11-B775-D83993133A7F**At_Symbol_Here**ilpi.com>

In-Reply-To: <CAOo07ZqHiV-4P6QPa_u9vofXFD0dP9U4nJTwV+ZJsYYBheypUA**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>

Demystify: 
Any idea if the NFPA will follow suit?

Speaking of the NFPA and good readings on Lithium ion fires, this is a go-to resource: 
https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/fire-protection-research-foundation/projects-and-reports/lithium-ion-batteries-hazard-and-use-assessment

The Phase 1 study listed there, which you can download directly, is chock full of info https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Project/Storefront/Catalog/Files/Research/Research-Foundation/Reports/Hazardous-materials/rflithiumionbatterieshazard.pdf

The topic is interesting, as many people think of lithium ion batteries as being a Class D fire threat. But they don’t contain lithium metal - they contain Li+ ions. So they simply require a Class ABC extinguisher. The comparison is like saying you need a Class D for table salt - nope, NaCl doesn’t contain sodium metal. That said, there are lithium metal batteries out there (disposable), but those are not lithium ion batteries. See https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/lithium-ion-battery.htm for an example of how ions shuttle.

I suppose one can argue a special niche Li category because of the engineering issues - after all, we have a Class K for kitchen fires even though those really are an ABC or BC threat, because of the specific issues surrounding kitchen equipment. I don’t buy the energy density argument in Li ion, however. Today’s Li ion batteries have 1/40th to 1/50th the energy of a typical fuel liquid like gasoline. If you have a rechargeable drill or laptop in your house or workplace, you won’t need a special Li extinguisher for it, just a regular ‘ole ABC. However, if you are warehousing them - then I refer back to the NFPA reference above. For a larger fire like a Tesla or one of their utility-scale battery storage units- well, that’s (IMHO) lazy engineering as to why those fires are so hard to fight, but that’s a long drawn out post that goes down some deep rabbit holes.

Rob Toreki

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On Feb 10, 2026, at 1:51 PM, Neal Langerman <chemsaf**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM> wrote:

BS ISO 3941:2026 has been published with a revision that adds a new fire classification for lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery fires.

BSI confirmed the update reflects the growing use of Li-ion batteries across the built environment, from large energy storage systems to electric vehicles and personal mobility devices.

The standard classifies fires according to the nature of the material undergoing combustion.

The latest revision introduces Class L as a dedicated category for Li-ion cells and batteries where no metallic lithium is present.

Read more at: https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/bsi-lithium-ion-class-l/
If you have questions about lithium battery safety, I am available to try to answer them.
Neal

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NEAL LANGERMAN, PhD
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