One of our AirGuard customers pointed out that a company he'd never heard of was advertising their version of a data center cable floor seal.

I visited their website, and found them promoting rubberized vinyl foam that resembled a rough textured anti-fatigue mat that is glued over cable openings. You have to cut holes or slits in the rubber with a utility knife to run the cables.

Their product specifications indicate that it is manufactured from Vinyl Nitrate with a passing flammability rating according to DOT FMVSS 302.

That's the part that sounded impressive...

But upon closer review...

I Googled Vinyl Nitrate and the closest I got to its definition was that it was commonly referred to as, Polyvinyl Nitrate (PVN). Further search on Polyvinyl Nitrate found a text book on Propellants, Explosives and Pyrotechnics. Polyvinyl Nitrate (PVN) is one of the few known polymeric explosives.

What...an explosive...

If you don't believe me check out this link on Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_nitrate

A search of DOT FMVSS 302 found that it stands for Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Chapter 302 "Flammability of Interior Materials" specifies burn resistance requirements for materials used in the occupant compartments of motor vehicles. "If a material stops burning before it has burned for 1 minute from the start of timing, and has not burned more than 2 inches from the point where timing was started, it shall be considered to meet the burn-rate requirement of the standard."

Compare that to AirGuard's UL 94 VO rating...may not burn with flaming combustion for more than 10 seconds after application of flame, the highest possible rating for Tests for Flammability of Plastic Material for Parts in Devices and Appliances.

This new product may meet flammability standards for the interior of a car, but that's not the same standard the NFPA 75 has assigned for a data center, let alone satisfy NFPA 75.5.4.2(3).