Toxicity Testing of Combustion Products of Polyurethane and Polyvinyichioride
Abstract
Inhalation of toxic combustion products is the major cause of death during fires. This problem is also prominent In military equipment, because of the widespread use of plastics, especially PUR and PVC. Increased knowledge of the combustion products formed and their toxicity could decrease the risks. This report describes the development and validation of a test that can be used to estimate the toxicity of the combustion products of plastics. In this test, 2-100 g of plastics are combusted, and rats are exposed to the complete smoke mixture. In addition to survival, also sublethal effects, such as respiratory depression and lung damage are investigated. For the validation process, a number of combustion experiments was performed, aimed at demonstrating that the test is useful to compare the toxicity of several plastics. The toxicity risk of polyurethane (PUR) could be estimated, both with PUR foam and with PUR rigid plates. The test allows the combustion to be performed under conditions with varying oxygen concentrations and temperatures. This was demonstrated using PUR and polyvinylchloride (PVC) samples. The toxic effects of PUR were mainly attributed to carbon monoxide and by hydrogen cyanide. The toxicity of PVC was partly due to the formation of carbon monoxide and by hydrogen chloride. Quantitatively, the results were in reasonably good agreement with literature data.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA362007
Entities
People
- A. H. Hammer
- C. A. Poot
- R. W. Busker
- W. C. Kuijpers
- W. W. Bergers
Organizations
- Prins Maurits Laboratorium TNO