The incapacitative effects of exposure to the thermal decomposition products of polyurethane foams

✍ Scribed by D. A. Purser; Patricia Grimshaw

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 746 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0308-0501
• DOI: 10.1002/fam.810080104

✦ Synopsis

The merhanisnrs of incapacitation resulting from exposures to the thermal decomposition products of fiemile and rigid polyurethane foams (PW were studied over a range of Werent temperatures under pyrolytic or non-flaming oxidative decomposition conditions. Individual cynomolgus monkeys were exposed to atmospheres increasing in separate experiments from very low concentratiom: until early physiological signs of incapacitation were detected. When flexile PUF was pplysed at 900°C and rigid PUF was oxidized at 600 "C, clear atmospheres containing CO and HCN were produced and the signs of toxicity were very similar to those produced by HCN gas alone, consisting of an episude of hyperventilation followed by a semi-conscious state. Pyrolysis of tlexiile PUF at 600 "C and 300 "C produced a dense yellow smoke but no HCN. The signs, consisting of hyperventilation throughout exposure and dyspuoea afterwards, were consistent with pulmonary initation. Since TDI monomer is not present at 600 "C it is conduded that some as-yet unidentified but highly irritant chemical species is present in smoke from flexiile PUF.