Fire Toxicity

Toxic fire effluents are responsible for the majority of fire deaths, and an increasing large majority of fire injuries, driven by the widespread and increasing use of synthetic polymers. Fire safety has focused on preventing ignition and reducing flame spread through reducing the rate of heat release, while neglecting the important issue of fire toxicity. This is the first reference work on fire toxicity and the only scientific publication on the subject in the last 15 years. Assessment of toxic effects of fires is increasingly being recognised as a key factor in the assessment of fire hazards. This book raises important issues including the types of toxic effluents that different fires produce, their physiological effects, methods for generation and assessment of fire toxicity, current and proposed regulations and approaches to modelling the toxic impact of fires. The contributors to Fire toxicity represent an international team of the leading experts in each aspect of this challenging and important field. This book provides an important reference work for professionals in the fire community, including fire fighters, fire investigators, regulators, fire safety engineers, and formulators of fire-safe materials. It will also prove invaluable to researchers in academia and industry. Investigates the controversial subject of toxic effluents as the cause of the majority of fire deaths and injuries Describes the different types of toxic effluents and the specific fires that they produce, their physiological effects and methods for generation Provides an overview of national and international fire safety regulations including current and proposed regulations such as a standardized framework for prediction of fire gas toxicity

This report does not seek to single out synthetic polymers as a special case. It aims to provide an overview of the whole subject of combustion toxicity and threat to life, whilst supplying specific information on the most frequently encountered polymeric materials, and combustion products such as dioxins which have received high levels of media attention. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database provides useful references for further reading.

Combustion toxicology is a recent, applied science, the ultimate purpose of which is to reduce casualties from smoke inhalation. The present volume attempts an unbiased presentation of the state of the field. The authors have identified the misconceptions and unsupported conclusions in the literature, differentiating between fact and hypothesis and present the reader with an account of what is really known about the toxicity of smoke produced by materials. They also recommend an approach to evaluating the toxicity of combustion products.

This book provides comprehensive and detailed information on combustion processes, dispersion of combustion products, estimation of rate of production of products and their effects on health.

Today's risk analysis is a very challenging field, and a solid understanding of the calculations procedure associated with it is essential for anyone involved. Fires, Explosions, and Toxic Gas Dispersions: Effects Calculation and Risk Analysis provides an overview of the methods used to assess the risk of fires, explosions, and toxic gas dispersion

This is a comprehensive source of information on all aspects of fire retardancy. Particluar emphasis is placed on the burning behaviour and flame retarding properties of polymeric materials and textiles. It covers combustion, flame retardants, smoke and toxic products generally and then goes on to concentrate on some more material-specific aspects of combustion in relation to textiles, composites and bulk polymers. Developments in all areas of fire retardant materials are covered including research in new areas such as nanocomposition. Fire retardant materials is an essential reference source for all those working with, researching into, or designing new fire retardant materials. Detailed analysis of the burning behaviour and flame retarding properties of ploymers, composites and textiles Covers smoke and toxic gas generation Analysis of material performance in fire

From long-standing worries regarding the use of lead and asbestos to recent research into carcinogenic issues related to the use of plastics in construction, there is growing concern regarding the potential toxic effects of building materials on health. Toxicity of building materials provides an essential guide to this important problem and its solutions. Beginning with an overview of the material types and potential health hazards presented by building materials, the book goes on to consider key plastic materials. Materials responsible for formaldehyde and volatile organic compound emissions, as well as semi-volatile organic compounds, are then explored in depth, before a review of wood preservatives and mineral fibre-based building materials. Issues related to the use of radioactive materials and materials that release toxic fumes during burning are the focus of subsequent chapters, followed by discussion of the range of heavy metals, materials prone to mould growth, and antimicrobials. Finally, Toxicity of building materials concludes by considering the potential hazards posed by waste based/recycled building materials, and the toxicity of nanoparticles. With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Toxicity of building materials is an invaluable tool for all civil engineers, materials researchers, scientists and educators working in the field of building materials. Provides an essential guide to the potential toxic effects of building materials on health Comprehensively examines materials responsible for formaldehyde and volatile organic compound emissions, as well as semi-volatile organic compounds Later chapters focus on issues surrounding the use of radioactive materials and materials that release toxic fumes during burning