- Author
-
Kaplan, H. L.
- Title
- Effects of Narcotic and Irritant Combustion Gases on Escape Performance of Test Animals.
- Coporate
- Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX
- Book or Conf
- Naval Air Systems Command. Composites in Fire Workshop. Volume 2. April 2-4, 1985,
Monterey, CA,
21-21/3 p.,
1985
- Keywords
-
combustion gases
|
animals
- Abstract
- In post-crash aircraft fires, usually only a few minutes are available for passenger egress before flames and heat reach a critical level. therefore, for passengers to survive, their escape capability must not be severly impaired by toxic combustion gases during those few minutes. In order to assess the potential of selected combustion gases (carbon monoxide, acrolein, hydrogen chloride) to impair human escape, a relevant escape performance test was developed for use with the juvenile baboon and the rat. Effective concentrations for escape impairment by carbon monoxide were determined to be comparable in the two species. Acrolein and hydrogen chloride did not prevent escape of rats or baboons even at concentrations that caused post-exposure respiratory effects and lethality. The results suggest that humans may be able to physiologically tolerate high concentrations of irritant gases without prevention of escape.