Influence of Heating Rates On the Toxicity of Evolved Combustion Products: Results and a System for Research

Abstract

The significance of the rate of heating of materials to the nature and toxi cologic consequences of combustion products formed by natural and man-made products was evaluated using a system designed to allow exact control and reproducibility of this variable. Using this system, the decomposition products of Douglas Fir, Hem Fir, and a high density polyethylene were characterized in terms of gases evolved, lethality, and ability to incapacitate at sample heating rates of 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C per minute. For all three materials, the rate of heating was found to have marked influences on both the decomposition prod ucts and their toxicologic impact. This influence was not such as to be ex plainable as just a decomposition rate phenomenon.

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