Product Stewardship Program for Refractory Ceramic Fibers

Product Research

Each RCF Coalition member conducts its own research to develop new product forms to help reduce potential risk from RCF exposures. New product research generally focuses on three key elements dose, durability and dimension. To reduce the potential for worker exposure, various methods are being explored to bond or encapsulate products in order to contain ceramic fibers (i.e., reduce dose).

Durability refers to the development of compositions possessing greater biological solubility to reduce the persistence of fibers that may be inhaled. And, several methods are being investigated to alter the dimension or size distribution of ceramic fibers to reduce the fraction in the respirable range (less than 3 microns), while maintaining key performance properties.