| Abstract | Halons were widely used in fire suppression applications up to 1994. Since halons are ozone-depleting substances, however, their production has been phased out in developed countries under the Montreal Protocol. Halon replacements, with zero or reduced ozone depletion potential (ODP), have been developed and become commercially available. As developed countries begin to tackle the issue of the global climate changes as reflected in the Kyoto Protocol, the fire safety community is facing new challenges, since most of the available halon replacements are global warmers. Recent research efforts have been directed toward developing advanced agents with a short atmospheric lifetime (ALT) and low global warming potential (GWP). Laboratory screening of chemical compounds has identified four groups (halogenated organosilicon compounds, metallic compounds, phosphorus compounds, and tropodegradable halocarbons) for further assessment as potential substitutes to halons. This report documents recent advances in developing new chemical agents for fire suppression applications. |
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