- Author
- Levin, B. C. | Gurman, J. L. | Paabo, M. | Baier, L. | Holt, T.
- Title
- Toxicological Effects of Pure and Mixed Fire Gases for Various Exposure Times. (Abstract Only)
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- Abstract 803,
- Book or Conf
- Society of Toxicology. The Toxicologist. Abstracts of the 26th Annual Meeting. Volume 7, Number 1, February 1987, 201 p., 1987
- Keywords
- toxicology | fire gases | exposure time | combustion products | animals
- Identifiers
- toxicity
- Abstract
- The toxicity of single and multiple fire gases is being studied to determine whether the toxic effects of the combustion products from materials can be explained by the biological interactions of the primary fire gases or if minor, more obscure gases need to be considered. LC50 values for Fischer 344 rats have been determined for carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) (as individual gases) for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 minute exposures plus relevanty post-exposure periods using the NBS Toxicity Test Method apparatus. The HCN LC 50 (based on within-plus 24 hour post-exposure deaths) concentration-time products were constant; however, the LC 50 concentration-time products for CO decreased for exposures up to 5 minutes and increased for the exposures of greater duration. Combined CO and HCN experiments indicated that these toxicants act in an additive manner for all the times tested (5-60 minutes). Synergistic effects were found when the animals were exposed to certain combinations of CO and carbon dioxide (CO2) in tests ranging from 5-60 minutes. A mathematical model of the combined toxicological effects of CO, CO2, and HCN predicted the observed toxicity of the combustion products in 17 out of 24 cases of material decomposition.