Fire toxicity
Fire toxicity - Vinyl Council Australia
| The toxicity of PVC emissions from accidental building fire is no worse than many other common materials. The most important product in any fire, after heat, is carbon monoxide (CO), which is produced by all organic materials when they burn. Heat and carbon monoxide are by far the major cause of building fire deaths. Another dangerous gas is hydrogen cyanide (HCN) produced, not from PVC, but from nitrogen-containing materials such as some natural fibres. The two most common irritant gases produced in fires are acrolein (from both natural and synthetic materials such as wood) and hydrogen chloride (HCl), from chlorine-containing materials, including PVC. At the levels encountered in building fires, hydrogen chloride remains an irritant and is not lethal. Newly developed PVC formulations e.g. Flame Retardant PVC (FR-PVC) have significant benefits in terms of lower acid emissions, smoke generation and enhanced fire resistance. |
