"The fire has strengthened the expectation of anti - smoke and smoke elimination functions for cables with flame retardants. We have great hope for inorganic flame retardants, such as magnesium hydroxide." Experts said at the recent annual meeting of 2013 plastics new materials, new technologies, new achievements exchange and China Plastics Association Expert Committee held in Qingdao.

Experts recommend that although magnesium hydroxide as a flame retardant for plastics is still in the developing stage of application, frequent fire damage to human and property has forced all sectors of society to take this problem seriously. Especially the fact that the fire scene is shocking. Most of the people are not burned directly by fire, but are inhaled by poisonous gas to suffocate, which strengthens people's expectation for smoke suppression and smoke elimination function of flame retardants. As for organic brominated flame retardants, the controversy is continuing. However, bromine flame retardants, a completely non-toxic, efficient and easy to use flame retardant processing and application technology is not yet mature. There are great hopes for inorganic flame retardants such as magnesium, aluminum hydroxide and zinc borate.

It is understood that low smoke and halogen free cables do not emit toxic fumes when they burn. They can prevent serious damage to human health and monitoring equipment and reduce the two loss of fire. The base material of low smoke halogen free cable material is polyolefin halogen free material. The material itself is not flame retardant. It needs adding halogen free flame retardants such as aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide to make it a low smoke and halogen free material. It is understood that the aluminum hydroxide decomposition temperature is low, the processing temperature reaches nearly 200 DEG C or higher polyethylene or polypropylene, flame retardant processing has not been completed, it began to decompose, not only affects the flame retardant material, plastic material properties and processing more deterioration. Magnesium hydroxide has a much higher decomposition temperature than aluminum hydroxide, which is relatively stable at the processing temperature of polyethylene or polypropylene.