printer friendly version

Effective replacement for Halon

Since the manufacture of Halon 1301 ended in December 1993, the FM200 extinguishing agent is seen as a clean and effective replacement for Halon 1301.

FM200 provides protection equal to that of Halon 1301 and testing has proved that FM200 is effective. Tests have shown that exposure to FM200 is safer than exposure to Halon 1301. Based upon a review of the toxicity data the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) determined that FM200 is safe for exposure to concentration as great as 9% by volume. Even higher exposures up to 10,5% in concentrations are allowed for up to one minute.

FM200 rapidly extinguishes fire through a combination of chemical and physical mechanism at design concentration. This concentration is well below the US EPA's recommended minimum exposure levels. FM200 requires only minimal additional storage space as the physical properties of FM200 with its efficient extinguishing requirements allow its use in the same type of equipment that would be used for Halon 1301.

Since the extinguishing effectiveness of FM200 requires only 70% more by weight, the additional storage space requirements are minimal.

Share this article:

Further reading: