[Soundproofing Panels] Soundproofing Cotton Purchasing Guide, Five Things You Need to Know About Soundproofing [Hong Kong]
Safety - protect your life before soundproofing
The safety of sound insulation materials mainly depends on two things: fire protection and insulation
Sound insulation cotton and sound insulation panels are mainly manufactured from rubber, polyester, etc.
It belongs to the British fire standard BS-476-7 Class 3 (highly flammable) and is not suitable for use on walls and ceilings of buildings.
Nowadays, fireproof materials (activated carbon) have been added to the soundproofing panels used in major hotels, auditoriums, and theaters.
In order to comply with the existing standards of the Hong Kong Fire Department.
How to know fire resistance?
Building materials sold in Hong Kong must pass British standard tests approved by the Fire Services Department before they can be used.
Sound insulation cotton, sound-absorbing panels and other building materials belong to ceilings and walls. The test is carried out according to BS-476-6.
If the building materials are safe, businesses can usually produce laboratory certificates from Hong Kong.
One thing to note is that mainland laboratories use mainland fire protection standards for testing.
It’s not that the mainland’s tests are unreliable, but the population and building density in the mainland are completely different from those in Hong Kong.
Fire protection standards are established based on local conditions.
For example, can the fire protection standards of wooden houses in the prairie of Xinjiang be used in commercial buildings with more than 100 floors and high schools?
Moreover, test data is difficult to track in mainland China and Hong Kong.
If a fire does not occur, the insurance company may refuse the claim on the grounds that flammable materials were used.
After all, the third-party insurance you purchased does not cover the storage of highly flammable goods.
Safety - Jiafu
The rubber and polyester used in building materials such as sound insulation panels and sound-absorbing panels will evaporate a large amount of methane.
Amethyst is colorless and odorless, and long-term exposure can cause cancer.
Not long ago, it was suspected that more than 80 car owners in mainland China were suffering from cancer due to the use of sound insulation cotton containing excessive formaldehyde in Audi cars.
Extended reading: [Audi cancer-causing storm] Sound insulation cotton volatilizes formaldehyde, be careful of Taobao unscrupulous goods - Apple Daily (2019)
Currently in Hong Kong, all imported and exported building materials,
All should be based on the formaldehyde test approved by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (Formaldehyde Emission EN717 Part1)
Passed Hong Kong Science and Technology Park SGS laboratory inspection.