Fires death resulting from

Each year, statistics on causes and occupancies of fires and deaths resulting from fire are compiled and published. NFPA sponsors seminars on the Life Safety Codes, National Electrical Code, industrial fire protection, hazardous materials, transportation emergencies, and other related topics. NFPA also conducts research programs on delivery systems for public fire protection, arson, residential fire sprinkler systems, and other subjects. NFPA publications include National Fire Codes Annual, Fire Protection Handbook, Fire Journal and Fire Technology. 

Most deaths from fires do not result from bums. Bums cause only about one-fourth of fire-related deaths. Nearly two-thirds of all fire-related deaths result from inhalation of carbon monoxide, smoke, toxic gases, and asphyxiation. About one-tenth of the deaths are from mechanical injuries, such as injuries from falls or falling material. 

Accidents at NPPs can also result in very high doses of radiation on-site. The only early deaths resulting from such accidents have occurred among plant personnel or off-site fire fighters responding on-site. In the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, 28 people responding on-site died from radiation exposure. 

Fatalities in fire rarely result from direct exposure to flames. The primary cause of death in persons trapped in a burning building is contact with the toxic products of combustion... 

As noted nearly five centuries ago, fires produce smoke and as learned this century, most of the fire deaths in this country result from people breathing that smoke (1). Over the years, the United States and Canada have had the worst fire loss records among the industrialized countries which keep such records (2). At present, the United States suffers 6,000 deaths and 30,000 reported injuries per year (3). The annual property damage exceeds 7 billion, and the total cost of fire is over 50 billion (4). 

It is well known that hydrogen cyanide can be liberated during combustion of nitrogen containing polymers such as wool, silk, polyacrylonitrile, or nylons (1, 2). Several investigators have reported cyanide levels in smoke from a variety of fires (3, 4, 5). The levels reported are much below the lethal levels. Thus the role of cyanide in fire deaths would seem to be quite low. However, as early as 1966 the occurence of cyanide in the blood (above normal values) of fire victims was reported (6). Since then many investigators have reported elevated cyanide levels in fire victims (7-13). However, it has been difficult to arrive at a cyanide blood level which can be considered lethal in humans. In this report the results of cyanide analysis in blood of fire victims are reported as well as the possibility that cyanide may, in some cases, be more important than carbon monoxide as the principal toxicant in fire smoke. 

In 1977, two fully loaded Boeing 747 commercial aircraft crashed into each other on a foggy runway in the Canary Islands. This accident was then the worst in aviation history and took 583 lives. An inquiry concluded most of the deaths in the Canary Islands accident resulted from the aviation fuel fire that lasted for more than 10 hours. G. Daniel Brewer, who was the hydrogen program manager for Lockheed, stated that if both aircraft had been using liquid hydrogen as fuel instead of kerosene, hun-... 

The most common application of forensic odontology is the identification of deceased individuals. Dental identification of human remains may result from a number of situations whereby the body is disfigured to such an extent that visual identification is not possible. Such situations include the victims of fire, violent crime, motor vehicle accidents, mass disaster, bodies found in water, and decomposed remains. Occasionally a body s dentition may be used for purposes other than identification, and several studies have investigated postmortem tooth loss as a potential indicator of time since death (Hall 1997 McKeown and Bennett 1995). 

Flammable Liquid, Corrosive, Poison SAFETY PROFILE A poison by skin contact and ingestion. Moderately toxic by inhalation. Ingestion of even small amounts can be fatal. A skin and severe eye irritant. Inhalation of a small amount can cause immediate lachrymation, coughing, choking, and respiratory distress. Death may result from pulmonar) edema which may not appear for several hours after exposure. A dangerous fire and moderate explosion hazard when exposed to heat, spark, or flame. Self-reactive. Iron salts may catalyze a potentially explosive thermal decomposition. Incompatible with water, iron, metal salts, acids, alkalies, amines, alcohols. Stable under refrigeration below 20°, but one reference (1973) reports that it has exploded while stored in a refrigerator. Present-day formulations appear to be more stable. Temperatures above 20° can cause decomposition. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and fumes. 

Loss of skin exposes an organism directly to the environment. Such exposure reveals two vital functions of skin, namely, control of bacterial infection and of fluid loss. Unless treated, extensive skin loss can lead to death due to either of these causes. In the United States approximately 10,000 individuals die every year due to extensive skin loss sustained in a fire, while at least 130,000 others are treated in hospitals for extensive burns. Skin loss can, of course, also result from a large number of causes not related to fire injury. 

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