Whistleblower Gerald W. Brown. Mr. Brown exposed deficiencies in passive fire protection measures used in nuclear construction in the United States and Canada.

Gerald W. Brown is an American whistleblower, who concerned himself with deficiencies in passive fire protection systems in US and Canadian nuclear power plants. In mathematics, a deficient number or defective number is a number n for which &#963;(n) < 2n. ... Fire-resistance rated wall assembly with fire door, cable tray penetration and intumescent [1] cable coating. ... A nuclear power station. ... In large construction projects, such as skyscrapers, cranes are essential. ... Edmund Gerald Jerry Brown, Jr. ... A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. ... In mathematics, a deficient number or defective number is a number n for which &#963;(n) < 2n. ... Fire-resistance rated wall assembly with fire door, cable tray penetration and intumescent [1] cable coating. ... System (from Latin systÄ“ma, in turn from Greek sustÄ“ma) is a set of entities, real or abstract, comprising a whole where each component interacts with or is related to at least one other component. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... A nuclear power station. ...

Thermo-Lag scandal

Gerald W. Brown was the original whistleblower of the Thermo-Lag 330-1 scandal, which involved an endothermic material manufactured by Thermal Science Inc., now also doing business as Nu-Chem, Inc., of St. Louis, Missouri, still marketing product under the Thermo-Lag name. Thermo-Lag was used to provide circuit integrity to wiring running between the nuclear reactors and the control rooms within the power stations. The purpose of the circuit integrity designs was to ensure that in the event of a fire, the wiring remain operable, so that operators could shut down the reactors in order to prevent a nuclear meltdown. In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction that absorbs energy in the form of heat. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Method 1: fire-resistant cables: PVC-sheathed MICC cable. ... Core of a small nuclear reactor used for research. ... Purpose is the quality of one being determined to do or achieve a goal deliberately. ... A nuclear meltdown occurs when the core of a nuclear reactor ceases to be properly controlled and cooled due to failure of control or safety systems, and fuel assemblies (containing the uranium or plutonium reactor fuel and highly radioactive fission products) inside the reactor begin to overheat and melt. ...

Mr. Brown discovered and disclosed to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that the fire testing used to qualify Thermo-Lag was not adequate. By the time of the disclosure, many licensed and operating plants had already installed this product. The NRC as well as a number of its affected licensees confirmed in fire testing that the installed configurations did not provide the mandated minimum level of protection and promptly communicated this fact to its licensees, who were subsequently required to remedy the situation by either replacing the product with one that did work or by overlaying the product with one that did. It also established a new and more stringent test procedure for qualifying circuit integrity products. Some plants chose a variety of means to remedy the problem, including the use of MI Cables. NRC headquarters in Rockville, MD. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (or NRC) is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act in 1974, and was first opened January 19, 1975. ... A Fire Test is a means of determining whether or not fire protection products meet minimum performance criteria as set out in a building code or other applicable legislation. ... NRC headquarters in Rockville, MD. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (or NRC) is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act in 1974, and was first opened January 19, 1975. ... A Fire Test is a means of determining whether or not fire protection products meet minimum performance criteria as set out in a building code or other applicable legislation. ... Method 1: fire-resistant cables: PVC-sheathed MICC cable. ... PVC-sheathed MICC cable. ...

The NRC does not mandate the use of product certification, as is commonplace in commercial, industrial or residential construction products of this type. Product certification or product qualification is the cornerstone of all bounding and the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance and/or quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in regulations such as a building code and nationally accredited test standards, or that it complies with a... In large construction projects, such as skyscrapers, cranes are essential. ...

The NRC fined Thermal Science Inc. $900,000.00 for its part of the problem but wound up settling out of court for $300,000.00 with neither side yielding to the other side’s point of view.

Silicone foam

Faulty Sakno Silicone Foam Firestop Installation in Calgary Sewage treatment plant in the 1980's, to seal opening above a fire door in a cast concrete fire separation. This was a winter installation with outdoor temperatures near -40°C. Now and then, the exterior door was left open, which affected ambient indoor temperatures and thus the "snapping" process of the foam, whose density varied widely within the seal. Silicone foam, once mixed, evolves hydrogen gas, which bubbles, thus creating a foam, as the liquids turn to solid rubber.

Gerald W. Brown also highlighted issues with the use of unbounded silicone foam firestops in the United States as well as Canada. In Canada, he further pointed out inadequacies with regards to unbounded circuit integrity measures in Canadian nuclear power plants, which included single-sided fire barriers for three-dimensional cable trays. Not unlike the NRC, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission also does not require product certification that is mandatory for non-nuclear construction. Image File history File links Silicone_foam_sakno1. ... Image File history File links Silicone_foam_sakno1. ... Silicone caulking can be used as a basic sealant against water and air penetration. ... A firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies through bounding. ... Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. ... Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from sewage. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Conflagration redirects here. ... Fig. ... This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Silicone caulking can be used as a basic sealant against water and air penetration. ... A firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies through bounding. ... Method 1: fire-resistant cables: PVC-sheathed MICC cable. ... Firestopped cable tray penetration. ... The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is best described as the nuclear energy and materials watchdog in Canada. ... Product certification or product qualification is the cornerstone of all bounding and the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance and/or quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in regulations such as a building code and nationally accredited test standards, or that it complies with a...

Front for fire protection whistleblowers

Gerald W. Brown founded the Fire Protection Defense League, as a front for other whistleblowers concerned with fire protection issues. Through the help of Canadian members, FPDL and Gerald W. Brown publicised generic fire protection deficiencies in Canada concerning firestops and grease duct systems. Fire protection is the prevention and reduction of the hazards associated with fires. ... A firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies through bounding. ...

Career path

Gerald W. Brown spent much of his career as a firestop contractor. Since becoming a whistleblower, his fire protection work came to an end. He has since been involved in farming and is now working on a project involving the commercial uses of peat and wood pellets as energy sources in Minnesota. Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... A handful of wood pellets Wood pellets are a type of wood fuel, generally made from compacted sawdust. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ...

External links

• Proceedings of the Select Committee on Ontario Hydro Nuclear Affairs involving fire protection items raised by Gerald W. Brown
• Nuclear Information and Resource Service Publication about Thermo-Lag Issue, identifying Gerald W. Brown as source Nuclear Information and Resource Service
• Alternet.org treatise on nuclear fire protection issues, identifying Gerald W. Brown as the original source
• NRC document on circuit integrity and Thermo-Lag issue
• 103rd Congress Document on Thermo-Lag problem
• NIRS Reactorwatch
• ccnr.org Representative Ed Markey's Statements concerning flammable firestops
• Garden State EnviroNet Statement on NRC Silicone Foam Issues
• USNRC Information Notice 88-56