Abstract

Flame-retardant coatings and films are widely used to delay flame spread on interior finishing and wood-based materials; however, their fire effluent toxicity has not been sufficiently characterized, and direct comparisons between these product types remain scarce. This study evaluated three commercial flame-retardant coatings and three flame-retardant films using the KS F 2271 gas toxicity test, NES 713 toxicity index test, and Py-GC/MS and HS-GC/MS analyses. Representative coating and film products were also applied to medium-density fiberboard (MDF) to assess average incapacitation time, total smoke release (TSR), and total heat release (THR). All tested specimens, including the 1 coat/layer, increased-loading, and MDF-applied conditions, satisfied the Korean gas toxicity criterion of 9 min. However, increased loading affected the two product groups differently; the intumescent coating showed a marked reduction in average incapacitation time, whereas the films remained relatively stable. The coatings produced higher toxicity indices and more diverse detected gases and pyrolysis products than the films. In MDF-based specimens, flame-retardant treatment increased average incapacitation time and reduced TSR and THR. These findings show that fire effluent toxicity differs between coatings and films and should be considered together with flame-retardant performance.

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