Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on January 10, 2018 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: September 15, 2001 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2001-0797.pr001
Preface In the United States we each have about a 40% probability lifetime chance of being involved in a large enough fire to cause the fire départaient to arrive at our door. 1.8 million fires occur in the United States annually, resulting in $ 10 billion in damage. Although the United States has one of the highest rates of fire in the world, fire is a worldwide problem. Mostfiresinvolve the combustion of polymeric materials. Flame retardants are the largest single class of additives used in plastics. Flame retardants alone constitute a $1 billion business worldwide. Thus, a clear need exists for a peer-reviewed book on the latest topics in fire science from a materials perspective. Because fire and polymers are an important social issue and because of the interest in and the complexity of fire science, a symposium and workshop were organized in conjunction with die 220th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting in Washington, D.C. The symposium builds upon previous symposia in 1989 and 1994. Forty-eight papers from leading experts in ten countries were presented. From those, 28 papers were carefully selected for incorporation into this volume.
Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the ACS Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering and the Petroleum Research Fund for support of travel for international academic speakers at the symposium. We also acknowledge Cyndi Johnsrud for her extensive assistance with the myriad of details in preparation for the symposium and workshop and in die preparation and organization of PMSE preprints from die symposium.
Gordon L. Nelson
Charles A. Wilkie
College of Science and Liberal Arts Florida Institute of Technology 150 West University Boulevard Melbourne, F L 32901—6975
Department of Chemistry Marquette University P.O. Box 1881 Milwaukee, WI 53201—1881
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Nelson and Wilkie; Fire and Polymers ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2001.
