Plastic pipes study details gas risks from burning MLCP plumbing materials
Iain Hoey
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Plastic pipes findings from CuSP research
Independent testing commissioned by The Copper Sustainability Partnership (CuSP) found that a type of plastic plumbing pipe burned quickly and released toxic gases during fire simulations.
The work was carried out in partnership with Warringtonfire, with tests designed to simulate real-life fire scenarios and measure how quickly different plumbing pipe materials react when exposed to flames.
The programme included Multi-Layer Composite Pipe (MLCP), described as a common type of plastic pipe used in plumbing with an aluminium layer pressed between two layers of polyethylene (PEX) pipe.
CuSP said MLCP burned in just over five minutes during testing.
Toxic gas release and detection limits described
The report states that MLCP produced carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide when burned.
It says these gases can go unseen and undetected by household smoke detectors, meaning an alarm may only sound after the fire and gases have already spread.
Andrew Surtees, Co-Founder of The Copper Sustainability Partnership, said: “We are beginning to see more instances of smoke alarms not being able to detect fires because they are happening more suddenly due to undetectable flammable gases igniting.
“The news commonly reports these fires when caused by lithium-ion batteries being used in new technologies, but not many people realise the risk of commonly used materials within their walls.
“Plastic pipes like MLCP are dangerous.
“Many underestimate the risks of these pipes because they believe that the water they store will extinguish a fire, but the gases these pipes produce can cause a fire to spread quickly, outpacing what small water reserves a pipe holds.”
Copper comparison included in test summary
The study compared MLCP with other plumbing pipe materials, including copper.
It reported that MLCP produced 248 times more carbon monoxide in the five-minute period it burned, while copper withstood heat of over 1000ºC without setting alight or releasing toxic fumes.
CuSP said more information about the report is available at www.cuspuk.com.