Flame retardant polymeric compositions capable of passing the CSA varnish test

A crosslinkable polymeric composition capable of passing the CSA varnish test which comprises:

• (a) a polymeric component containing at least 66% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene and a vinyl ester of a C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 aliphatic carboxylic acid, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl acrylate or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl methacrylate,
• (b) from 80 to 400 parts of hydrated inorganic filler per 100 parts of the polymer component,
• (c) 0.5 to 5 parts of an alkoxy silane per 100 parts of hydrated inorganic filler, and
• (d) 0.1 to 5 parts of distearyl-3,3'thiodipropionate per 100 parts of the polymeric component.

In a crosslinkable polymeric composition of the type comprising:

• (a) a polymeric component containing at least 66% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene and a vinyl ester of a C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 aliphatic carboxylic acid, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl acrylate or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl methacrylate,
• (b) from 80 to 400 parts of hydrated inorganic filler per 100 parts of the polymer component, and
• (c) 0.5 to 5 parts of an alkoxy silane per 100 parts of hydrated inorganic filler
• the improvement which comprises admixing with said polymeric composition an amount effective to enable said polymeric composition to pass the CSA varnish test of an antioxidant composition comprising at least 25% distearyl-3,3'-thiodipropionate.