Used exclusively within buildings, Corning's MIC® cables are designed for use in plenum, riser and general purpose environments for intrabuilding backbone and horizontal installations. The cables must have a flame-retardant jacket to fit this purpose, deployed in either ducts or cable trays. When routing a cable within a building, fire prevention requirements also need to be factored into the design. These requirements differ per country and region of the world. Here are the fire prevention requirements, specifically in North America, that must be considered:
- Plenum: Plenum is defined as any enclosed area that facilitates environmental air handling. Cable jackets used in plenum spaces are rated for both flame and smoke generation.
- Riser: Riser cable jackets are rated for flame generation and are held to a lower standard than plenum cables.
- Low-Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH™): When water interacts with a burning cable jacket, these cables eliminate the production of toxic gases.