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Description: |
41 pages, A-13 pages : illustrations |
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General Note: |
Prepared for Products Research Committee, National Bureau of Standards. |
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Bibliography Note: |
Includes bibliographical references. |
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Summary, Etc. Note: |
Summary: The objective of the project supported by PRC was to develop a test method for measuring the toxicity of combustion products from polymeric materials including cellular plastics. The development of such a test procedure was considered an essential first step to determine the hazard to life when cellular plastics are involved in fire. As result of this work, a test procedure was developed. It consists of 3 major elements; (1) combustion system, (2) chemical analysis system and (3) animal exposure system. Two biological endpoints obtained from the exposure are: (1) incapacitation in 30 minute exposure period, and (2) lethality in 30 minutes plus 14 days post exposure. The test apparatus has been evaluated to determine mixing rates and loss of reactive chemicals in the exposure chamber. In addition, a statistical evaluation of the experimental results demonstrated that order of incapacitation was independent of animal location. Evaluation of a limited number of different materials that produce different toxicological syndromes has demonstrated the utility of all 3 endpoints. Two natural polymers (wood and wool) and 2 synthetic materials (modacrylic and PTFE) have been studied in detail. In addition, preliminary data have been obtained on a flexible polyurethane foam (CM-21). |