Archive for September, 2008
In the United Kingdom, many buildings including schools and hospitals are constructed using foam filled sandwich panels. Due to concerns of the combustibility of the “plastic foam filled sandwich panels,” the Association of British Insurers has recently changed the guidance of such panels.
The magazine which published the story claiming sandwich panels can release substances that can be as harmful as asbestos, has retracted the article, stating, “This is not the case.” comparison
Recent UK news sources are beginning to compare the foam in insulated building panels to asbestos. But is this comparison accurate?
Currently, when structures with metal skinned building panels are demolished, the skin is stripped for recycling, and the foam is either crushed and sent to a landfill, or burned. Recent studies (which we are unable to locate) have shown that certain blowing agents in the foam are released during the end of life destruction, and can poise a threat to the water table.
Additionally, under recent UK laws, metal sandwich building panels need to be disposed of in a similar method as refrigerators… ie complete recycling.
With the millions of square feet of such panels used in walls and roofs across the UK, at some point the end of life solution will need to be addressed
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