- Author
-
Birky, M. M.
- Title
- Hazard Characteristics of Combustion Products in Fires: The State-Of-The-Art Review. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
- Report
-
NBSIR 77-1234
May 1977
48 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- C-97823-B
- Keywords
-
chemical analysis
|
combustion products
|
fire fatalities
|
smoke inhalation
|
toxicity
|
autopsy
|
inhalation toxicity
- Abstract
- The purpose of this effort is to review what is known about the "smoke inhalation" hazard as related to human fatalities, the limitations of the fire fatality data and the methods that have been and are being used to assess the inhalation toxicity hazard. Fire statistics indicate that 70 to 80% of the fire fatalities are attributed to smoke inhalation. In depth autopsy studies of some of these fatalities show that carbon monoxide is the predominant toxicant produced from fires. The role of new synthetic polymers and other additives is unknown as is the role of hydrogen cyanide in fire fatalities. Chemical analysis of combustion products has been used extensively to assess the toxicological hazard in fire research. The limitations of such measurements are addressed and a combination of toxicology (animal exposures) and analytical chemistry is recommended. Recent combined biological and selected analytical measurements are critically reviewed. The mechanism of toxic action of a few well known combustion products is discussed. Due to the extensive use of organophosphates as fire retardants in polymeric materials, the toxicity of this class of compounds is reviewed in some detail. The role of building codes and standards and early detection and suppression of fire are discussed as a means of reducing human exposure to toxic combustion products. For example, the 1976 French regulation that limits the use of flammable materials that contain chlorine and nitrogen in their molecular structure is presented.