The Medical Hazards of Flame-Suppressant Atmospheres

Abstract

Flames are a potential hazard to the occupants of sealed chambers. This report describes four modifications of air that will suppress or extinguish flames. They are: (1) SUPPLEMENTATION - the addition of an appropriate foreign gas to air. (2) N2 PRESSURIZATION - the addition of compressed N2 to air. (3) DEPRESSURIZATION - the partial evacuation of air from the chamber. (4) N2 DILUTION - the exchange of N2 for O2. The primary medical hazards of flame- suppressant atmospheres are barotrauma, N2 narcosis, decompression sickness, hypoxia and inhalation toxicity. Experimental evidence supports the use of N2 DILUTION to suppress flames aboard patrolling submarines. One or more of the following adjuncts may enhance the use of N2 DILUTION without impairing human health: Physiological adaptation to hypoxia, addition of CO2 to the atmosphere and N2 PRESSURIZATION.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 19, 1991
Accession Number
ADA239618

Entities

People

  • Douglas R. Knight

Organizations

  • Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Temperature
  • Altitude
  • Automated Speech Recognition
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Biomedical Research
  • Burning Rate
  • Burns
  • Combustion
  • Decompression Sickness
  • Ear
  • Embolism And Thrombosis
  • Fire Safety
  • Fires
  • Materials
  • Military Research
  • Pressurization
  • Sea Level

Readers

  • Marine Mammal Biology
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Rocket Propulsion.