HTIW Coalition History
- Founded in 1992, registered and headquartered in Washington DC
- Four members which represents all manufacturers in North America
- Connected to ECFIA in Europe (www.ecfia.eu) and Japan High Temperature Insulation Wool Association in Japan (jhiwa.jp)
- Long-standing cooperation with regulatory agencies and the scientific community
HTIW Coalition was initially formed as the Refractory Ceramic Fibers Coalition (RCFC) by U.S. manufacturers of Refractory Ceramic Fibers (RCFs) to coordinate their efforts in the areas of health, safety and the environment by sponsoring scientific research, developing and disseminating good work practices and providing information on fibers to the public, industry and government agencies.
At the time the Coalition was formed, RCFs were the principal products of the industry. RCFs are vitreous High Temperature Insulation Wools made from aluminosilicate glass (also known as Alumino Silicate Wools or ASW). Today, in addition to RCF, HTIW Coalition members produce high temperature vitreous Low Biopersistent (LBP) Wools (e.g., Alkaline Earth Silicate (AES) Wools) and Polycrystalline Wools (PCW).
From its inception, the HTIW Coalition has cooperated with the scientific community and government agencies to improve and broaden the understanding of HTIW characteristics and opportunities. As part of its commitment to health and safety, the Coalition has developed a number of documents that provide users with recommendations on good working practices when handling HTIW products. The industry’s Product Stewardship Program has been praised by regulators and industry as a model for manufacturers and users in evaluating, controlling and reducing workplace exposures and the potential effects of exposure.