This report does not seek to single out synthetic polymers as a special case. It aims to provide an overview of the whole subject of combustion toxicity and threat to life, whilst supplying specific information on the most frequently encountered polymeric materials, and combustion products such as dioxins which have received high levels of media attention. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database provides useful references for further reading.

Toxic fire effluents are responsible for the majority of fire deaths, and an increasing large majority of fire injuries, driven by the widespread and increasing use of synthetic polymers. Fire safety has focused on preventing ignition and reducing flame spread through reducing the rate of heat release, while neglecting the important issue of fire toxicity. This is the first reference work on fire toxicity and the only scientific publication on the subject in the last 15 years.Assessment of toxic effects of fires is increasingly being recognised as a key factor in the assessment of fire hazards. This book raises important issues including the types of toxic effluents that different fires produce, their physiological effects, methods for generation and assessment of fire toxicity, current and proposed regulations and approaches to modelling the toxic impact of fires.The contributors to Fire toxicity represent an international team of the leading experts in each aspect of this challenging and important field. This book provides an important reference work for professionals in the fire community, including fire fighters, fire investigators, regulators, fire safety engineers, and formulators of fire-safe materials. It will also prove invaluable to researchers in academia and industry. - Investigates the controversial subject of toxic effluents as the cause of the majority of fire deaths and injuries - Describes the different types of toxic effluents and the specific fires that they produce, their physiological effects and methods for generation - Provides an overview of national and international fire safety regulations including current and proposed regulations such as a standardized framework for prediction of fire gas toxicity

Polymer Green Flame Retardants covers key issues regarding the response of polymers during fire, the mechanisms of their flame retardation, the regulations imposed on their use, and the health hazards arising from their combustion. Presenting the latest research developments, the book focuses in particular on nanocomposites, believed to be the most promising approach for producing physically superior materials with low flammability and ecological impact. The fire properties of nanocomposites of various matrixes and fillers are discussed, the toxicological characteristics of these materials are analyzed, addressing also their environmental sustainability. Edited by distinguished scientists, including an array of international industry and academia experts, this book will appeal to chemical, mechanical, environmental, material and process engineers, upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines, and generally to researchers developing commercially attractive and environmentally friendly fire-proof products. - Provides recent findings on the manufacture of environmentally sustainable flame retardant polymeric materials - Covers legislation and regulations concerning flame retarded polymeric material use - Includes tables containing the fire properties of the most common polymeric materials

"This book should be a required reference on the laboratory'ssafety shelf as no where else is so much useful informationavailable in a single volume." ?Inside Laboratory Management, on the Second Edition "...a portable reference on reactive substances to guide allpersonnel...in charge of the handling, storage, and transportationof chemical materials." ?Journal of the American Chemical Society, on the SecondEdition The authoritative resource on dangerous chemical interactionsnow enlarged, revised, and even more useful. The term "incompatibilities" describes a wide range of chemicalreactions that produce undesirable results in noncontrolledsituations: the generation of toxic gases, fire, explosions,corrosive activity, polymerization, ruptured containers, creationof more dangerous compounds, and the like. A portable andeasy-to-use reference on reactive substances commonly found incommerce, the Wiley Guide to Chemical Incompatibilities, ThirdEdition compiles hard-to-find data on over 11,000 chemicalcompounds, providing chemists, technicians, and engineers athorough, lightning-quick resource to use during experimentalpreparation and in the event of an emergency. More than a revision of the previous edition, this ThirdEdition has been rewritten and expanded to broaden coverage andimprove its usefulness. It contains nearly 9,000 chemicalincompatibility profiles and nearly 250 new entries, coveringflammability, violent and explosive binary reactions,incompatibilities, and reactions that may result from physicalchange. Alphabetical organization provides concise incompatibilityprofiles for thousands of commonly used commercial chemicals,allowing readers to look up a given substance and instantly learnwhether it is incompatible with common materials, other chemicalsubstances, structural materials, or personal protectiveequipment. New for the Third Edition: Chemicals that have the potential to cause disasters Chemical formulas and autoignition temperatures More flash points, as well as molecular formulas, lower andupper explosive limits, autoignition temperatures, andNFPA®-type (Red) numerical fire codes Safety reminders All entries keyed by CAS numbers to eliminate possibleconfusion among synonyms Spanish-, French-, and German-language entries forinternational use Revised glossary helps users who may not be chemists withgeneral chemical terms With thousands of new entries and easy-to-use organization, theThird Edition of the Wiley Guide to ChemicalIncompatibilities remains a handy resource for all safety,first-response, and plant management professionals responsible forthe handling, storage, and conveyance of chemical materials.

Fires are a common source of exposure to smoke and a range of toxicologically active chemicals. Providing a complete overview of the subject, this book provides comprehensive and detailed information on combustion processes, estimation of rate of production of combustion products, dispersion of these products and their effects on health. Beginning with a chapter discussing the chemistry of combustion and detailing the mechanisms of burning, how different materials ignite and the nature of combustion products, the book goes on to examine specific combustion products in detail, the toxicity and carcinogenicity of the products, their dispersion and methods of monitoring. With diverse coverage edited and authored by recognised experts in the field, this book will provide an essential text for those working in toxicology, combustion science, public health and environmental research.