As the Summer Series of Assembly Point draws to a close, host George

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Listen to the final episode of Assembly Point’s Summer Series

As the Summer Series of Assembly Point draws to a close, host George Edwardes, Technical Director at the FPA is joined by Dr Joanna Cloy, Senior Project Manager at environmental charity Fidra; and Professor Richard Hull, Professor of Chemistry and Fire Science at the University of Central Lancashire to discuss the toxic impacts of smoke, focusing on chemical flame retardants in household goods.

Dr Joanna Cloy and Professor Richard Hull highlight that these retardants, particularly in upholstered furniture, can be harmful to human and environmental health, causing issues like neurotoxicity and carcinogenesis. They draw focus to the need for government action, industry collaboration, and public awareness to address the challenges posed by chemical flame retardants.

The panel debate whether current regulations support improved life safety and discuss how these need to be updated to reflect modern fire scenarios. They also explore achieving net zero whilst ensuring fire safety is not compromised, emphasising the importance of the circular economy and chemical transparency in the future.

Are you up to date?

Episode 1 - Construction products: fire resistance testing as a route to compliance

Episode 2 - Balancing environmental goals and fire safety

Episode 3 - The evolving role of AI in fire safety

Episode 4 - Cladding remediation: the insurer perspective

George Edwardes | Technical Director | Fire Protection Association

George joined the FPA in 2014 with experience as a research and development engineer. During his time with the organisation he has held a multitude of roles focused around managing fire tests and providing consultancy, including as Laboratory Manager, Project Manager, and Technical Consultant.

As the FPA’s Technical Director, George is responsible for collaborating with stakeholders, and directing policy development and quality assurance.

He also manages the Technical Steering Group, comprising the FPA’s technical experts. George holds a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and is currently conducting an MSc by Research, focusing on fire safety assessment tests for external cladding systems.

Dr Joanna Cloy | Senior Project Manager | Fidra

Dr Joanna Cloy is an experienced environmental scientist. She is keen to help find solutions for tackling chemical and plastic pollution through her role as Senior Project Manager at Fidra. She has a PhD in environmental geochemistry and joined Fidra after 16 years working as a soil researcher. She currently leads Fidra’s Sustainable Fire Safety and Sewage-free Soils projects. Her key areas of interest are environmental pollution, persistent organic chemicals, agricultural soil health and nutrient dynamics, soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

Professor Richard Hull | Professor of Chemistry and Fire Science | University of Central Lancashire

Richard Hull is the Professor of Chemistry and Fire Science at the University of Central Lancashire. He leads the Centre for Fire and Hazards Science, whose expertise focus around fire chemistry, fire science and fire toxicity. He has over 130 peer reviewed publications on fire science and fire toxicity and has been following the fallout from the Grenfell tower fire closely.

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