Fire Emissions of Organics into the Atmosphere

Blomqvist, Per; Persson, Bror; Simonson, Margaret

doi:10.1007/s10694-007-0011-y

Cited by 32 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Using the steady state tube furnace (ISO TS 19700), the generation of isocyanates from materials such as PUR mattresses and insulation materials as well as PVC carpets and wood board were analysed [11,47]. A correlation between the magnitude of the obtained yields for isocyanates from the PUR materials from the well-ventilated stage and yields from PUR from the cone calorimeter was reported.…”

Section: Assessment Of Fire Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In most cases combustion efficiency is key to limiting pollutant emissions: although vastly more fuel is burned in controlled conditions, unwanted fires contribute 10% overall PAH and particulates, because of their much lower combustion efficiency [11]. In both cases robust analysis of combustion products is the key to assessing their hazards.…”

Section: Atmospheric and Particulate Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, a pioneering report from Sweden in 1998 [10] demonstrated that unwanted fires (as distinct from power stations, urban incinerators and engines etc., and also excluding wildland fires) were responsible for a disproportionately large amount of the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and atmospheric particulates; the emission of particulates and unburnt hydrocarbons from one tonne of fuel from an unwanted fire is equivalent to that from burning almost 200 tonnes of solid fuel in a power station; they estimated that in Sweden 1000 tonnes of particulates were emitted by fires, 4000 tonnes by power stations and 9000 tonnes by road transport. In their follow-up study they quantified the emissions of PAH in Sweden from unwanted fires as 7 ±5 tonnes [11]. Alongside these two reports of PAH/particulate emissions from actual or reproduced unwanted fires, recent evidence shows that wood burning stoves, which are much closer to unwanted fires than burning coal, oil, diesel, petrol or gas, emit far more PAH and the most dangerous PM2.5 particulates [12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fire toxicity – The elephant in the room?

Stec

2017

Fire Safety Journal

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Fire toxicity is the largest cause of death and injury from unwanted fires, yet it is the least well studied area of fire science and engineering. Fire toxicity increases by factors up to 50, as the fire becomes underventilated. This has proved difficult, but not impossible, to replicate in a controlled way on a bench-scale. Clear correlations have been observed between the stoichiometric equivalence ratio, and the yields of the major asphyxiants, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. In addition, irritant components of fire effluents, which have an instantaneous effect, can incapacitate fire victims, trapping them in a fire. However, the longer term toxicants present in fire effluents, such as the carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the microscopic particulates which result from their agglomeration are probably responsible for hundreds or thousands more deaths than the acute asphyxiants and irritants.

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Section: Assessment Of Fire Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Atmospheric and Particulate Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fire toxicity – The elephant in the room?

Stec

2017

Fire Safety Journal

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“…fire fighters and fire site clean-up crews. The emission of PAHs from fires is further of significance for the contamination of the environment [1] and in terms of background exposure of people.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Quantified in Large-Scale Fire Experiments

et al. 2011

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A number of large-scale fire experiments with detailed quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) including PAH congener distribution have been conducted by SP. This data is reviewed here and is further assessed with regard to toxicity applying a Toxic Equivalency Factor (TEF) model for estimation of cancer potential. The PAH yield data from the large-scale fire experiments is also compared to emission factors from other combustion sources. The study shows that full-scale fire experiments with different products exhibit a large variation in total PAH yields. Fires with products containing flame retardants were shown to produce the highest yields and generally a more toxic mixture of PAHs than fires with nonflame retarded products. The distribution of individual PAH congeners is generally quantitatively dominated by low molecular weight PAHs, whereas a small number of medium to high molecular weight PAHs are most important in determining the toxicity of the PAH mixture. The large-scale fire experiments indicate that fires normally produce orders of magnitudes higher yields compared to, e.g. modern residential combustion devices. The relative distribution of individual PAHs, which determines the toxicity of the PAH mix, is similar for the fires and open burning data studied, in that benzo(a)pyrene and dibenz(a,h)anthracene dominate the toxicity of the mix as a whole.

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“…While these instruments are available at varying levels of cost and complexity, it has been reported that some instruments suffer from problems due either to the type of measurement or to the electronics used to process the signals. In some cases sample artifacts make data interpretation more difficult [3]. There are only a few studies available in the literature that compare different methods and instruments for continuous measurement of aerosol mass concentrations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of Optical and Physical Properties of Combustion-Generated Carbonaceous Aerosols (< PM2.5) Using Analytical and Microscopic Techniques

Perera

Litton

2013

Fire Technol

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A series of experiments were conducted to quantify and characterize the optical and physical properties of combustion-generated aerosols during both flaming and smoldering combustion of three materials common to underground mines—Pittsburgh Seam coal, Styrene Butadiene Rubber (a common mine conveyor belt material), and Douglas-fir wood—using a combination of analytical and gravimetric measurements. Laser photometers were utilized in the experiments for continuous measurement of aerosol mass concentrations and for comparison to measurements made using gravimetric filter samples. The aerosols of interest lie in the size range of tens to a few hundred nanometers, out of range of the standard photometer calibration. To correct for these uncertainties, the photometer mass concentrations were compared to gravimetric samples to determine if consistent correlations existed. The response of a calibrated and modified combination ionization/photoelectric smoke detector was also used. In addition, the responses of this sensor and a similar, prototype ionization/photoelectric sensor, along with discrete angular scattering, total scattering, and total extinction measurements, were used to define in real time the size, morphology, and radiative transfer properties of these differing aerosols that are generally in the form of fractal aggregates. SEM/TEM images were also obtained in order to compare qualitatively the real-time, continuous experimental measurements with the visual microscopic measurements. These data clearly show that significant differences exist between aerosols from flaming and from smoldering combustion and that these differences produce very different scattering and absorption signatures. The data also indicate that ionization/photoelectric sensors can be utilized to measure continuously and in real time aerosol properties over a broad spectrum of applications related to adverse environmental and health effects.

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Fire Emissions of Organics into the Atmosphere

Cited by 32 publications

References 16 publications

Fire toxicity – The elephant in the room?

Fire toxicity – The elephant in the room?

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Quantified in Large-Scale Fire Experiments

Quantification of Optical and Physical Properties of Combustion-Generated Carbonaceous Aerosols (< PM2.5) Using Analytical and Microscopic Techniques

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