- Author
-
Kishitani, K.
|
Nakamura, K.
- Title
- Research on Evaluation of Toxicities of Combustion Gases Generated During Fires.
- Coporate
- Tokyo Univ., Japan
Building Research Inst., Tokyo, Japan
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NBS SP 540,
- Distribution
- Available from Government Printing Office
- Book or Conf
- National Bureau of Standards. Fire Research and Safety. 3rd Joint Panel Proceedings Conference of the U.S. Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR). March 13-17, 1978,
National Bureau of Standards,
Gaithersburg, MD,
Sherald, M. A., Editors,
485-519 p.,
1979
- Keywords
-
combustion gases
|
toxic gases
|
animals
- Abstract
- The toxicities to human beings of CO, CO2, HCl and HCN from among combustion gases produced from building materials and articles accomodated in buildings during fires, and O2 deficiency occurring from combustion of these materials are evaluated through animal tests using mice. Evaluation of toxicity is done by collapse index or lethality index (products of gas concentration inhaled by mouse and duration of inhalation exposure until collapse or death), or 50-percent lethal concentration (gas concentration at which 50% of mice inhaling gas die). It is shown that in exposure at high concentration for a short period of time the toxicities of CO, HCl and HCN under a condition of constant or rising concentration may be evaluated by the collapse index or lethality index. The former is approximately one fifth of the latter. Regarding O2 deficiency, it is shown that determination of these indices is not possible. However, as the effect of reducing the lethality index of CO or HCN in a gaseous mixture accompanied by O2 deficiency, it is shown to be possible to evaluate the injuriousness of O2 deficiency. The toxicities of CO and HCN are found to be roughly arithmetic. Values of 1.06%, 175 ppm and 5.20% are obtained as 50-percent lethal concentrations of CO, HCN and O2 deficiency, respectively, at exposure of 15 minutes.