- Author
- Levin, B. C. | Gann, R. G.
- Title
- Toxic Potency of Fire Smoke: Measurement and Use.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- Chapter 1; ACS Symposium Series 425,
- Book or Conf
- American Chemical Society (ACS). Fire and Polymers--Hazards Identification and Prevention. National Meeting, 197th. ACS Symposium Series No. 425. April 9-14, 1989, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, Dallas, TX, Nelson, G. L., Editors, 3-11 p., 1990
- Keywords
- toxicity | smoke | fire hazards assessment | smoke measurement
- Identifiers
- N-Gas Model; HAZARD I
- Abstract
- Accurate measurement of the toxic potency of smoke is a key to reducing human life loss in fires. This paper summarizes the approaches taken in measuring toxic potency and highlights four needed issues still to be researched. Direct comparison of only toxic potency values is not a valid means of determining the fire safety of materials and is not sufficient for evaluating fire hazard. The paper describes the N-Gas Model (a new method of assessing toxic potency) and two approaches (in which toxic potency is one of the factors) for assessing fire hazard: (a) HAZARD I, a comprehensive tool for calculating the outcome of a fire, and (b) a fire hazard index for comparing the contributions of alternative materials to the toxicity component of fire hazard.