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LOW SMOKE HALOGEN FREE CABLES – ARE YOU GETTING THE PERFORMANCE YOU EXPECT?

Prysmian’s Technical Marketing Manager – Terry Journeaux explains

2008-04-02 The problem of faulty and potentially unsafe cable in the market is the subject of an ongoing information and awareness programme with stockists, installers and specifiers.  Equally important is the accuracy of the information given to describe the performance of the cable.  After all it is this information, rather than an analysis of the product, that the purchaser will rely upon to determine if the product is compliant with his requirements.  Unfortunately, in the area of “low smoke halogen free” cables, the lack of agreed terminology to describe the required performance and the reliance on descriptive trade names has already led to the discovery of traditional pvc cables in the market being misrepresented through the product description as “low smoke halogen free” types.

There is now a general agreement on the terminology “low smoke” and “halogen free” which is preferred to the previous use of “zero halogen”.  The term “halogen free” may be used to support environmental/ecological needs in meaning the essential absence of halogens in the components of the cable, in a similar manner to the use of terms such as “lead free” or “cadmium free”.  However, most often it is used as part of a description of the total fire performance of a cable, in conjunction with “low smoke” to describe a cable giving low emission of smoke and halogen acid gas when burnt.

The Prysmian Group

A leading player in the industry of high-technology cables and systems for energy and telecommunication, the Prysmian Group is a truly global company with sales exceeding 5 billion euro in 2006 and a strong position in higher-added value market segments. With its two business, Energy Cables & Systems (submarine and underground cables for power transmission and distribution for industrial applications and for the distribution of electricity to residential and commercial buildings) and Telecom Cables & Systems (optical cables and fibres and copper cables for video, data and voice transmission), Prysmian boasts a global presence with subsidiaries in 35 countries, 54 plants in 21 countries, 7 Research & Development Centres in Europe, USA and South America, and over 12,000 employees. Specialising in the development of products and systems designed to meet clients' specific requirements, Prysmian's key strengths include a focus on Research & Development, the capacity to be innovative on products and production processes, and the use of advanced proprietary technologies. Prysmian is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange Blue Chip index.

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