- Author
- Anderson, R. | Alarie, Y.
- Title
- Screening Procedure to Recognize "Supertoxic" Decomposition Products From Polymeric Materials Under Thermal Stress.
- Coporate
- Pittsburgh Univ., PA
- Journal
- Journal of Combustion Toxicology, Vol. 5, 54-63, February 1978
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Contract
- NBS-GRANT-5-9005 PRC-GRANT-RP-75-2-8
- Book or Conf
- International Conference on Fire Safety, 3rd. Volume 3. January 16-20, 1978, San Francisco, CA, 157-170 p., 1978
- Keywords
- thermal stress | decomposition products | combustion products | toxicity
- Abstract
- In order to illustrate a simple procedure for identification of materials releasing highly toxic decomposition products under thermal stress, the LC50 has been determined for each of a series of materials. Concentration response curves were obtained by exposing mice to pyrolysis products of weighted samples (heated at 20 dec C/minute) and recording the number of deaths at each sample weight. In both long (30 minute exposure, 10 minute recovery) and short (10 minute exposure, 5 minute recovery) experiments, there was a factor of 100 between the LC50 of the most toxic pyrolysis products and that of the least. In each case, polytetrafluoroethylene was the most toxic material tested. Using a 30 minute exposure, Douglas Fir as a reference material, and groups separated by one order of magnitude, the following classification of materials is suggested: less toxic than Douglas Fir, as toxic as Douglas Fir, more toxic than Douglas Fir, and supertoxic.