General Cable has produced an excellent video detailing their new line of halogen-free riser cables: 17 FREE. All of this is explained in the video below, but the name 17 Free comes from Group 17 on the periodic table: halogens. By eliminating this group in their cable jackets, General Cable has eliminated fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine all together. This makes for a more environmentally friendly cable.
What truly caught my attention was the burn test (about 1:15 into the video). Not only does this new construction drastically reduce smoke and flame, it also has a pH no less than "5" after heating. This means no acidic gas is released upon heating the cable. When placed side-by-side to a 'traditional' cable, the results are staggering.
I can go on, but the video does a much better job of explaining the benefits of 17 FREE.
You can find more details about 17 Free from General Cable's press release which Accu-Insider reported on here.