Halon - who is still using it?

G

Greg Miller

Well-known member
Marie at Lost Mines stated how nasty this stuff can be to breathe in. If you are a driver or rescue worker it can hurt you.
I know it is discontinued, but with warehouses full of the stuff it can still be had to recharge systems grand fathered in.
I wonder if a rule change for 2016 is not in order.
"All cars using Halon in onboard fire equipment shall have a HALON identification labels on each door below the window and adjacent to the fire pull(s)."
Certainly our safety crews and rescue crews should know. It could save a driver's / and worker's life.
 

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HALON is NOT a killer. Just a hazard which requires lengthy exposure to cause problem. It used to be used extensively in every large scale computer rooms for it fire retardant effects and lack of residue. The doors to such rooms were kept open long enough to allow humans to exit then sealed. Remember when the computer system at work was run off of a LARGE main frame system like an IBM 360 (1 to 10 all ganged together in a big room? It does cut oxygen from the air to reduce fire hazards but is not a killer in and of itself.

NOTES ON EFFECTS FROM THE CDC:

Dogs and rats exposed daily for 18 weeks at an average concentration of 23,000 ppm showed no toxic signs and no pathologic changes observable at auto

Volunteers exposed to 70,000 ppm for 3 minutes experienced lightheadedness and disturbances in balance and ability to respond to visual stimulus [Reinhardt and Reinke 1972]; 3 hours to 70,000 ppm caused decrements in mental performance tests [Harrison et al. 1982]. Exposure to 50,000 ppm for 20 to 25 minutes caused drowsiness, light-headedness, and a slight effect on judgment [Hine et al. 1968]. Three volunteers experienced mild nose and throat discomfort after 28 minutes of exposure to 71,000 ppm [Stewart et al. 1978]. Others reported that a 30-minute exposure at 43,000 to 45,000 ppm caused dizziness, light-headedness, euphoria, and disturbances in equilibrium and coordination

As noted above it takes massive quantities to effect humans. The biggest hazard is in confined spaces. Not casual inhalation from outside discharged extinguishers.

My personal opinion is it's still the best stuff for fighting race car fires. But that's just my opinion :) When a car extinguisher is set off, I've always just assumed it was Halon and avoided inhaling the stuff as CO2 isn't that great to breath either.
 
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Halon takes oxygen away. Which can be a bad thing for a human that's sitting in an enclosed area where it has been discharged.

But the main reason that it was banned is because it depletes the ozone.
 
Fire removes oxygen as well, and is much more unpleasant than Halon. I don't believe you can buy a new system and getting a refill is difficult, but for fire suppression and shelf life it is still the best.
 
I have two 5-lb. bottles in the Trans Am. One is the new CFC free version and all legal, Dupont 36 I think?
The other is still Halon. I used to have dual Halon but had to use one about 5 years ago for a carb fire. The other nozzle was pointed at me when I hit the knob.
I was very cold of course, and I did hold my breath as I exited the car. I was immediately checked by Dr.Wong at Mission for any adverse affects, but I was racing again in the next session. I'd feel quite good about using it again if necessary. (Heaven forbid!)
 
I have a 5 Lb. bottle in my car and they will have to pry my cold, dead (but unburnt) fingers off it if they want to change to something "politically correct" that doesn't work. The hate on for Halon was that it can mess up the ozone layer. So....what does the fire do to the ozone layer? What does the fire do to you? We're not spaying these things around like the confetti mortars they use at the podium ceremonies, but if its life or death, I vote life. The do-gooders tried to replace the Halon extinguishers with CO2 on aircraft engines and all they did was burn up aircraft engines, and aircraft.
 
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