Toxicity of combustion products from burning polymers: development and evaluation of methods

Abstract

Laboratory and room-scale experiments were conducted with natural and synthetic polymers: cotton, paper, wood, wool, acetate, acrylic, nylon, and urethane. Smoke and off-gases from single materials were generated in a dual-compartment 110-liter exposure chamber. Multicomponent, composite fuel loads were burned within a 100 m3 facility subdivided into rooms. In chamber experiments, mortality depended on the amount of material burned, i.e., fuel consumption (FC). Conventional dose (FC)/mortality curves were obtained, and the amount of fuel required to produce 50% mortality (FC50) was calculated. With simple flame ignition, cotton was the only material that produced smoke concentrations lethal to rats; FC50 values for cotton ranged from 2 g to 9 g, depending on the configuration of the cotton sample burned. When supplemental conductive heat was added to flame ignition, the following FC50 values were obtained; nylon, 7 g; acrylic, 8 g; newsprint, 9 g; cotton, 10 g; and wood, 11 g. Mortality resulting from any given material depended upon the specific conditions employed for its thermal decomposition. Toxicity of off-gasses from pyrolysis of phosphorus-containing trimethylol propane—polyurethane foams was markedly decreased by addition of a flame ignition source. Further studies are needed to determine the possible relevance of single-material laboratory scale smoke toxicity experiments. Room-scale burns were conducted to assess the relative contributions of single materials to toxicity of smoke produced by a multicomponent self-perpetuating fire. Preliminary results suggest that this approach permits a realistic evaluation of the contribution of single materials to the toxicity of smoke from residential fires. ImagesFIGURE 2.

Persistent free radicals, heavy metals and PAHs generated in particulate soot emissions and residue ash from controlled combustion of common types of plastic

“…Victims of fires can suffer from severe smoke inhalation [14,15]. The toxicity of combustion products from burning polymers has been evaluate under experimental conditions [16]. Carcinogenic substances (PAHs, nitro-PAHs, dioxins, etc.)…”

Combustion and fire retardancy of aliphatic nylons

“…Laboratory and room‐scale experiments were conducted by Wright and Adams45 with various materials including nylon 6. Multicomponent, composite fuel loads were burned in a 100 m 3 facility subdivided into rooms.…”

A review of the literature on the gaseous products and toxicity generated from the pyrolysis and combustion of rigid polyurethane foams

“…The relative toxicity of combustion products of a trimethylolpropanebased rigid polyurethane foam containing various other types of phosphorus additives was investigated by Wright and Adams under flaming and non-flaming conditions [83]. The exposure and sample decomposition system was similar to that of Petajan et al [32].…”