Is anyone aware of an impending ban on cotton dust sheets?!!! I've had a look around the net but can't find anything definitive. Cheers Paul

I recently attended a construction site where the shop front was being fitted. The contractor was "Hot working" and decided to sheet up the front glazing for protection against sparks. Guess what the used - yes a cotton dust sheet? The fire was quickly extinguished but the red faces were not caused bu heat from the fire :-( One place where they should be banned.

Chris you don't ban them you just don't use them in that instance. The word 'ban' should be eliminated from use in H&S as it seems to create all sorts of myths. As to the original post, I think someone is winding you up. Why ban cotton dust sheets? For some jobs they are perfectly acceptable.

Quite, in some sectors eg education you can spend an inordinate amount of time disabusing those who should know better.

Are you are saying that you want to ban the word ban? :-)

Perhaps a rumour about a ban was started by people who make or sell non-cotton dust sheets in a bid to discredit the cotton ones or at least get more customers. As for banning the word "ban", surely there's no need - because we don't ban things in OS&H ! By contrast, media people delight in writing or broadcasting about bans, especially after non-OS&H people have misused/misappropriated 'health & safety' in order to justify unpopular decisions, actions or inactions. John C - Useful advice about cotton and linseed oil. It reminds me of a TV programme I think I saw some years ago regarding a major fire in a prestigious building somewhere in America. The fire investigators were baffled about the cause of the fire until someone mentioned that the building was undergoing redecoration and therefore suggested that spontaneous ignition of resin or linseed-soaked (cotton?) rags was involved. As the experienced fire investigators were still sceptical, I vaguely recall that the person also had to recreate the effect in a test chamber before their scepticism could be dispelled. After that it became standard practice for such rags to be kept in closed metal containers prior to disposal. As my memory might be defective, do any other forum users recall such a programme? Also, does the risk of spontaneous combustion disappear after newish linseed oil residues on/in cotton have dried out?

So we have moved from a discussion about a simple minded ‘ban’ on cotton dust sheets to information about the possibility that oil contaminated cotton cloth (sheets or rags) could pose a fire risk. This is why this forum is useful; it unearths information that can help in creating your risk assessment, which it what drives proper H&S.

Yes, the issue is heat generated by the oxidation of drying oils (of which linseed oil is one); if the material is screwed up or otherwise confined, the heat can build up until the auto-ignition temperature is reached. LB

Oxidisation --- I have sitting on my laptop an e-mail from the southern hemisphere describing the use of a product based on d-limonene, the oil extracted from the peel of citrus fruits. They were using large quantities of this with rags to clean electrical equipment. As a 'natural' product they saw no reason why the used rags should not be dumped in a skip, until they had three fires. Cause was oxidisation of the d-limonene. Incidentally, d-limonene is classified as an irritant, but not a sensitiser. However, once oxidised it will contain potent (photo-)sensitisers capable of causing occupational contact dermatitis and, if there is exposure to strong sunlight, predispose to skin cancer. Chris

And another thought perhaps the media should be publicising things like this; you know public safety information rather than looking to slag off ‘elf and safety’. Sorry my mistake- the media are not there to inform the public but create fake issues for them to rant about

Chris, that's very useful information, as most people (myself included) assume that because these cleaners are "natural", they can't be harmful.

teh boy wrote Correct me if I am wrong, I thought the problem that was linseed oil cures by oxidation, not evaporation of a solvent, Oxidation is exothermic (generates heat) and hence the fire risk. Applying my somewhat rusty Chemistry skills - ANY combustible material is at risk. Not just cotton? (e.g. news paper) You are quite right about the process and it is not just cotton - any organic material will do the same. Take care John C

Route66 Many years ago when working in Libya in the oil industry we had a worker who fell asleep in his accomodation whilst smoking. Have you ever tried to put out a burning cotton mattress? You soak it is water until it is drenched and there is no smoke at all. Half an hour later the blessed thing bursts into flame again! Chris

Graham According to a well-known online encyclopedia, the auto-ignition temperature for cotton is 407ºC and that for linen is 254 - 400ºC (although I did not see an explanation for the range) so linen could be more of a problem. LB

Thanks Clairel, I was just about to point out the same!!!