This book addresses the three basic areas of combustion toxicology: combustion of materials, assessment of the toxicity of smoke, and understanding of hazards to humans. It is based on the papers published in the Journal of Fire Sciences during 1983-1987.

This book describes advances in the thinking of experts in the field of combustion toxicology through 1991. It emphasizes contributions due to the efforts of the working groups of ISO/TCQ2/SC3, along with presentation of the most up-to-date strategy for minimizing the risk of toxic hazards in fires.

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 report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

This book addresses the three basic areas of combustion toxicology: combustion of materials, assessment of the toxicity of smoke, and understanding of hazards to humans. It is based on the papers published in the Journal of Fire Sciences during 1983-1987.