Changing legislation for cable joint resins

From December 1st 2010 cable resins containing MDI are re-classified as Carcinogen Category 3, suspected of causing cancer and will carry new labelling to this effect. Subsequently, Prysmian is advising contractors and specifiers to adopt a “Substitute it Now (SIN)” philosophy when it comes to choosing which resin products to use for jointing cables.  

This applies to the vast majority of cable jounting resins on the market, except for Prysmian’s JEM resin solutions which are 100% MDI free and present none of the health and safety risks associated with other resins containing hazardous chemicals. From December 1st all Prysmian resin cable joint kits will be JEM resin only.

Prysmian developed JEM (Joint Encapsulation Material) technology more than ten years ago in response to customer requests. JEM resin is free from harmful isocyanate, causes no irritation or sensitising  and independent testing determined that the material requires no hazardous labelling.

Jonathan Rawlinson, Technical Manager at Prysmian Cables & Systems commented: “The first time many people become aware of the change in legislation and labelling could be when they come to joint cables together onsite. This would be an unwelcome suprise, especially if they do not understand the reasons why this change has happened or the risks to their health.”

He added: “From December 1st it would be prudent for everyone in the cable joint resin supply chain to use products that present no health and safety risk to users. Prysmian’s JEM resin solutions are ideally placed to fulfil this need, also offering technical and environmental benefits, ten years service history and zero electrical failures. “

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