What is BS EN 60695-7-3 - Toxicity testing of fire effluent about?
BS EN 60695-7-3 is a European standard and a part of the BS EN 60695 series that discusses the use and interpretation of test results for fire hazard testings. Toxic fire effluents are responsible for the majority of fire deaths, and an increasingly large majority of fire injuries, driven by the widespread and increasing use of synthetic polymers.
BS EN 60695-7-3 concerns laboratory tests used to measure the toxic components of the fire effluent from either electrotechnical products or materials used in electrotechnical products. It guides the use and interpretation of results from such tests. It also guides the use of toxic potency data in fire hazard assessment and on principles that underlie the use of combustibility and toxicological information in fire hazard assessment.
The methods described applying to data concerning both the incapacitating effects and the lethal effects of fire effluents. One of the responsibilities of a technical committee is, wherever applicable, to make use of basic safety publications in the preparation of its publications. The requirements, test methods or test conditions of this basic safety publication will not apply unless specifically referred to or included in the relevant publications.
Who is BS EN 60695-7-3 - Toxicity testing of fire effluent for?
BS EN 60695-7-3 on toxicity testing of fire effluent applies to:
- Electrical engineers
- Manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment and components
- Personnel for quality testing and maintenance of fire hazard products
Why should you use BS EN 60695-7-3 - Toxicity testing of fire effluent?
Fire effluent is a totality of gases and aerosols, including suspended particles, created by combustion or pyrolysis in a fire. Electrotechnical products, primarily as the objects of a fire, may contribute to the fire hazard due to the release of toxic effluent, which may be a significant contributing factor to the overall fire hazard.
BS EN 60695-7-3 provides the principles of toxic hazard assessment in which the fire hazard assessment is the discipline of predicting the expected degree of human harm or property loss resulting from the action of fire. Toxic hazard assessment is the branch of fire hazard assessment that addresses the effect of inhaled fire effluent on those exposed.
BS EN 60695-7-3 covers the methods of toxic hazard assessment as well as equations used to predict death and incapacity and toxic potency values.
Overall, BS EN 60695-7-3 is useful as it provides guidance on the test methods for the toxicity of fire effluent for fire hazard testing. Toxic hazard assessment attempts to quantify the potential for harm resulting from exposure to the toxic products of combustion.
