Abstract

AbstractAll organic materials burn and give off toxic products. These always include water, carbon dioxide, and the single gas causing the greatest hazard in fires—carbon monoxide (CO). The intrinsic toxicity of the smoke of all combustible materials, including PVC, is very similar in terms of lethality, with very few exceptions. Toxicity of vinyl compounds is due to two major gases: CO and hydrogen chloride (HCI). Since natural combustible materials are not chlorinated, speculation has arisen about the toxicity of HCl and of PVC smoke. Recent studies have shown that it takes similar doses of HCl and CO to kill rats. Furthermore, rats and baboons will tolerate the same levels of HCl. However, mice are much more sensitive than either rats or baboons towards HCl. Baboons are a very good model for humans; therefore, mice will be killed by exposure to much lower HCl levels than those required to kill humans. HCl concentrations in real fires are quite low: HCl decays rapidly by reacting with wall materials such as gypsum, cement, or ceiling tile. It does not, however, react rapidly with plastic or glass walls, which is where toxicity tests are carried out. Therefore PVC smoke is less hazardous in reality than it appears to be from toxicity test results. Since most products have similar intrinsic toxicities, as regards lethality, the real toxicity in a fire is a consequence of the rate of generation of gases. PVC is a difficult polymer to ignite and burns very slowly, so that it will give off less toxic products per unit time than many other common materials and cause lower fire hazard.

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