- Author
- Purser, D. A.
- Title
- Human Behavior: Physiological Effects in Real Fires.
- Coporate
- Huntingdom Research Centre plc, Cambridgeshire, England
- Book or Conf
- International Conference on Flammability. INTERFLAM '85. Conference Workbook. March 26-28, 1985, Guildford, England, 155-162 p., 1985
- Keywords
- human behavior | thermal decomposition
- Abstract
- Animal studies of incapacitation by thermal decomposition products indicate that the common narcotic gases, CO, HCN, low O2 and CO2 are almost certainly responsible for severe narcosis and death of fire victims overcome by smoke. eye and upper respiratory tract irritation also probably impair escape capability but to an unknown degree. Time to narcotic incapacitation in man should be predictable if the fire profile in terms of the above gases is known. Incapacitation of victims of smouldering and post-flashover fires can be explained in these terms, but victims should be able to escape from early flaming fires. It is suggested that the high incidence of victims in the room of fire origin may be due partly to sleeping victims being intoxicated by CO during the smouldering phase.