Abstract
A practical outdoor pool fire test has been designed and carried out on TDI and PMDI to see what hazards arise as a result of such an event.
During the TDI fire, the concentrations of TDI vapour and hydrogen cyanide were measured. Near the fire in the plume of the smoke, the concentration of hydrogen cyanide was below the German MAK value at all times, but TDI exceeded its MAK value at the same location.
PMDI could not be tested in the same way because in the absence of an external heat source the fire extinguished itself within one minute of the removal of the ignition source. As a result MDI and HCN concentration levels in the space over the pool fire have not been measured, and PMDI was judged to present no hazards in the test scenario.
The method used for extinguishing the fires are described and recommendations for the decontamination and disposal of residual TDI and PMDI are made.
An emergency training video presents parts of this work, and is available*.
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