Until now, mattresses in hotels were often protected with toxic flame retardants. Now things are getting healthier – and more environmentally friendly: Empa researchers have developed an environmentally friendly and economical synthesis for non-toxic flame retardants.

The flame retardant expert Sabyasachi Gaan developed EDA-DOPO at Empa in two years of research work as part of the Eureka SUSPUR project. This was initiated by the FoamPartner Group, which wanted to expand its product range with environmentally friendly, flame-retardant PU foams. The company is currently the sole licensee for EDA-DOPO for PU foam production. The substance is produced exclusively by Metadynea Austria GmbH.

Flame retardant upholstery is prescribed above all for areas where many people are present: Airplanes, trains and buses, hotels and restaurants. Flame retardants prevent inflammation, for example by cigarettes or vandalism. But here, too, environmental standards are becoming ever stricter.

Evaporation of flame retardants into the ambient air and the atmosphere is undesirable, and the toxic gases that can be produced during a fire are becoming less and less acceptable.

Many countries have already banned halogenated flame retardants. The demand for modern, harmless alternatives is therefore growing all over the world.

Here you can see an interesting video to this topic. 

It is still not clear why this devastating fire occurred in this beautiful old church.

The fact is, however, that there were several possibilities that could trigger the fire:

On the one hand, it has been proven that the workers involved in the renovation had violated the strict smoking ban.  Allegedly 7 cigarette butts were found at the scene of the crime.

Secondly, according to the newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, the fire brigade was not called until 35 minutes after the first fire alarm.

And another important reason for a fire is certainly the fact that the clergy, in violation of all safety regulations, had electrical striking mechanisms for several bells installed in the crossing tower.

The laying of electrical cables was strictly forbidden in the area of the ancient dry beams from the 13th century due to the danger of short circuits.

Unfortunately, such catastrophes occur again and again because people carelessly deal with the so important fire protection regulations.

The subject of fire by cigarettes and fire by short circuits will be discussed again in separate articles.