Fire and Smoke Understanding the Hazards (1986) / Chapter Skim
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1 Fire Deaths in the United States
1 Fire Deaths in the United States
Pages 15-22
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From page 15... ...
In a common type of residential fire, death occurs at night, 2 6 results from the ignition by cigarette of upholstered furniture or bedding (Table 1-2) , and involves intoxicating amounts of alcoholic beverages.
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From page 16... ...
62 CAUSES OF FIRE DEATH Accurate data on the causes of deaths associated with fire are difficult to obtain Autopsy is the only means available to determine the cause of death conclusively (i.e., smoke inhalation versus burns) , but it does not always provide more definitive information -- e.g., was death due to carbon monoxide (CO)
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From page 17... ...
O L I I I I I I I 1950 ., .. ~ Total Home 1 960 1 970 Year 1980 1 985 FIGURE 1-2 Fire deaths per 100,000 population in the United States, 1950-1980, total and home.
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From page 18... ...
Analysis of samples from 80 victims of the MOM Grand Hotel fire 3 6 revealed that approximately half the victims had COHb concentrations less than 50%; that raises the question of which other toxic factors might have contributed to these deaths. Investigations of a jail fire in Johnson City, Tennessee, 37 and of Maryland fire deaths over a 42-month period 3 5 discovered potentially toxic concentrations of HCN in the blood of a number of victims.
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From page 19... ...
3 8 That a number of survivors breathed through wet towels supports the inference that HCN, a hydrophilic agent, was a major factor in causing death. Breathing through wet fabric can in principle reduce the concentration of hydrophilic compounds, but not of CO.
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THE CONTEMPORARY FIRE ENVIRONMENT Findings like those just described, combined with a growing public awareness of the toxic hazards associated with fire, have led to the belief that today's fires produce combustion products that are more toxic than the fires of 30 or 40 years ago. Some assume that the increased presence of synthetic materials in the built environment causes fires to burn hotter and faster and to produce more toxic smoke than ever before.
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From page 21... ...
film production for selected consumer markets data abstracted from Modern Plastics. l 4 9 - l 5 2 determine trends, because comparative data from the presynthetic era (before 1950)
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From page 22... ...
However, whatever the cause of death, the United States has the highest fire-death rate in the world. An improved understanding of the hazards associated with fires, including toxic hazards, will certainly assist all who must deal with fire and its consequences, be they fire-safety engineers, firefighters, medical personnel, or those who find themselves threatened by fire.
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