In most fatal building fires it is not the flames that cause the greatest harm first — it is the smoke and toxic gas. They spread faster than fire, reduce visibility to near zero, and can incapacitate people before they reach an exit. This is why the smoke behaviour of cabling matters so much.
Ordinary PVC contains halogens such as chlorine. When it burns it releases dense black smoke and corrosive hydrogen-chloride gas, which is both toxic to breathe and damaging to electronics and structures nearby. Low Smoke & Halogen (LSH/LSZH) compounds are formulated to avoid this: in a fire they emit far less smoke and little or no halogen gas.
The practical payoff is more time and clearer air for people to evacuate, safer conditions for firefighters, and less corrosion damage to equipment after an incident. That is why low-smoke wiring is preferred — and increasingly expected — in homes, hospitals, schools, malls, metros and any enclosed or crowded space. See whether LSZH cables are required for homes.
APAR's low-smoke house wiring includes Anushakti HR-FR-LSH, Shakti FR-LSH, the Green Wire HR-FR-LSH range and the e-beam Fire Protekt wire. Explore the full house-wire range.