Sept. 2009 Fire Retardants Workshop Agenda and Presentations

Fire Retardants and their Potential Impact on Fire Fighter Health September 30, 2009 National Institute of Standards of Technology (NIST) Gaithersburg, MD 20899

AGENDA and PRESENTATIONS^[1]

September 30, 2009, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899

8:30 Registration 

8:50 Welcome, Dr. William Grosshandler, Deputy Director, BFRL, NIST 

9:00 Context for meeting

Chair: Richard M. Duffy, Assistant to the General President, Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

• The role of NIOSH in protecting the on-the-job health of fire fighters, Leslie Boord, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH
• The State of Environmental Regulations,  Mr. Daniel Axelrad, Nat'l Center for Environmental Economics, Environmental Protection Agency
• Q and A 

10:00 What are fire retardants and why do we use them?

Chair: Dr. Jeffrey Gilman, Leader, Materials Flammability Group, Fire Research Division, NIST

• The Role of Flame Retardants in Reducing the Rate of Fire Spread, Dr. Jeffrey Gilman, NIST
• Flame Retardants Past and Future, Dr. Alex Morgan, Dayton Research Institute 

10:45 Break 

11:00 previous session continued

• Additives used in Flame Retardant Polymer Formulations: Current Practice & Trends, Mr. Tim Reilly, Clariant P&A
• Flame Retardants - Fire Safety & Regulatory Status, Ms. Susan D. Landry , Albemarle
• Panel Discussion 

12:05 What happens to fire retardants and their products in the environment?

Chair:  Leslie Boord, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH

• Characterizing the Products Formed in Furniture Fires, Dr. Thomas Fabian, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., Northbrook IL 

12:30 Lunch 

1:15 previous session continued

• Life Cycle Analysis of Fire Retardants, Dr. Margaret Simonson McNamee, Research Manager, SP Technical Research Institute, Sweden
• The Fate of PBDEs in the Environment, Prof. Tom Webster, Boston University School of Public Health
• The Fire Retardant Dilemma: Fire Safety, Human Health and Environmental Protection, Dr. Arlene Blum, Green Science Policy Institute  
• Panel Discussion 

2:45 Break 

3:00 Are there health risks to fire fighters created by fire retardants?

Chair: Dr. Margaret Simonson McNamee, Research Manager, SP Technical Research Institute, Sweden

• Toxicity Program for Evaluation of Halogenated and Alternative FRs, Dr. George Rusch, Director, Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Honeywell
• Toxic Hazards to Fire Fighters, Including Effects of Fire Retardants, During Fires and Post-Fire Investigation Activities, Prof. David Purser, Hartford Environmental Research, UK
• Understanding to What Fire Fighters are Exposed, When They are Exposed, and Routes of Exposure, Dr. Peter Orris, Occupational Health Service Institute, Univ. of Illinois Chicago
• Controlling Fire Fighter Exposures to Fire Retardants, Ms. Dawn Bolstad-Johnson, Industrial Hygienist, Phoenix Fire Department
• Panel Discussion  

5:00 Where are our gaps in knowledge?

Open Session, Chaired by William Grosshandler, NIST 

5:30 Adjourn

---

^[1] An audio CD of the presentations is available by email request from shanille.nelson [at] nist.gov (shanille[dot]nelson[at]nist[dot]gov). Include your mailing address.