Flame toxicity

Very si sol in w and miscible with ale or ether. Its fire hazard is moderate when exposed to heat or flame. Toxicity details un-known(Ref 4). It is used principally as a solvent. When mixed with 15—20% of ethanol it dissolves ethyIcelliilose but not NC... 

Rate of detonation Sensitiveness to flame Toxicity Literature... 

Shelter-in-place is used when an evacuation through an area may cause or threaten greater harm to the individuals who are evacuating, such as direct exposure to flames, toxic vapors, or explosions. Typical methods used to achieve such protection include shelters, safe havens, and areas of refuge. 

CAL 133. California Technical Bulletin 133 is a test of the fire hazard associated with upholstered furniture (22). The test is carried out by igniting a standard fire source directiy on the piece of furniture being tested. In the most recent version of the test, the fire source is a gas flame. Smoke, heat, and toxic gas emissions are measured dufing the test. A related test, BS 5852, uses various wooden cribs as the fire source (23). 

In general, the acute toxicity of halogenated flame retardants is quite low. Tables 11—14 contain acute toxicity information from various manufacturers material safety data sheets (MSDS) for some of the flame retardants and intermediates Hsted in the previous tables. The latest MSDS should always be requested from the suppHer in order to be assured of having up-to-date information about the toxicity of the products as well as recommendations regarding safe handling. 

Table 11. Toxicity Data for Brominated Additive Flame Retardants...

Table 13. Toxicity Data for Chlorinated Flame Retardants and Intermediates ...

The Brominated Flame Retardants Industry Panel (BFRIP) was formed ia 1985 within the Flame Retardant Chemicals Association (FRCA) to address such concerns about the use of decabromodiphenyl oxide. Siace 1990 the BFRIP has operated as a Chemical Self-Funded Technical Advocacy and Research (CHEMSTAR) panel within the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) (64). As of 1993, members of BFRIP are Ak2o, Amerihaas (Dead Sea Bromine Group), Ethyl Corp., and Great Lakes Chemical. Siace its formation, BFRIP has presented updates to iadustry on a regular basis (65,66), and has pubhshed a summary of the available toxicity information on four of the largest volume brominated flame retardants (67,68) tetrabromo bisphenol A, pentabromodiphenyl oxide, octabromodiphenyl oxide, and decabromodiphenyl oxide. This information supplements that summarized ia Table 11. 

Toxicology. Two factors should be considered when discussing the toxicity of flame-retardant materials the toxicity of the compounds themselves and the effect of the flame retardants on combustion product toxicity. 

Product Toxicology. The stmcture—toxicity relationships of organophosphoms compounds have been extensively researched and are relatively well understood (138—140). The phosphoms-based flame retardants as a class exhibit only moderate-to-low toxicity. NIOSH or EPA compilations and manufacturers safety data sheets show the following LD q values for rats, for representative commercial phosphoms flame retardants ... 

A critical review of the toxicity of the haloalkyl phosphates and the potential metaboHc products is available (141). The toxicity of flame retardants used in textiles has also been reviewed (142). 

Effects on Combustion Toxicology. There appears to be no documented case of any type of fine retardant contributing to human fine casualties. A survey of data from small-scale combustion or pyrolysis experiments revealed no consistent pattern of decrease or increase in the yields of toxic gases (CO, HCN) when phosphoms flame retardants were present (152,153). 

Laboratory experiments using rodents, or the use of gas analysis, tend to be confused by the dominant variable of fuel—air ratio as well as important effects of burning configuration, heat input, equipment design, and toxicity criteria used, ie, death vs incapacitation, time to death, lethal concentration, etc (154,155). Some comparisons of polyurethane foam combustion toxicity with and without phosphoms flame retardants show no consistent positive or negative effect. Moreover, data from small-scale tests have doubtful relevance to real fine ha2ards. 

One noteworthy neurotoxic response was demonstrated in laboratory pyrolysis studies using various types of phosphoms flame retardants in rigid urethane foam, but the response was traced to a highly specific interaction of trimethylolpropane polyols, producing a toxic bicycHc trimethylolpropane phosphate [1005-93-2] (152). Formulations with the same phosphoms flame retardants but other polyols avoided this neurotoxic effect completely. 

Environmental Considerations. The phosphate flame retardants, plasticizers, and functional fluids have come under intense environmental scmtiny. Results pubUshed to date on acute toxicity to aquatic algae, invertebrates, and fish indicate substantial differences between the various aryl phosphates (159—162). The EPA has summarized this data as well as the apparent need for additional testing (147). 

Trends in the research and development of phosphoms flame retardants have been in the direction of less volatile, less toxic, more stable compounds, and where feasible, in the direction of built-in phosphoms stmctures. At the same time, there have been an increasing number of regulatory delays in new compounds, and the existent materials are finding increased exploitation in the form of mixtures. Some interest is also noted in encapsulation. 

As previously noted, the APO system leads to fabrics which combine flame resistance and durable press properties however, the toxicity of the aziridinyl system precludes its use in modem textile finishing. 

Because PTFE resins decompose slowly, they may be heated to a high temperature. The toxicity of the pyrolysis products warrants care where exposure of personnel is likely to occur (120). Above 230°C decomposition rates become measurable (0.0001% per hour). Small amounts of toxic perfiuoroisobutylene have been isolated at 400°C and above free fluorine has never been found. Above 690°C the decomposition products bum but do not support combustion if the heat is removed. Combustion products consist primarily of carbon dioxide, carbon tetrafluoride, and small quantities of toxic and corrosive hydrogen fluoride. The PTFE resins are nonflammable and do not propagate flame. 

Properties. Properties of perfluoropropyl vinyl ether [1623-05-8] (PPVE), a colorless, odorless Hquid (mol wt 266) are shown in Table 1. Perfluoropropyl vinyl ether is an extremely flammable Hquid and bums with a colorless flame. It is significantly less toxic than hexafluoropropylene the average lethal concentration (ALC) is 50,000 ppm (10). 

To enable interchangeabiUty of the SNG with natural gas, on a calorific, flame, and toxicity basis, the synthetically produced gas consists of a minimum of 89 vol % methane, a maximum of 0.1% carbon monoxide, and up to 10% hydrogen. The specified minimum acceptable gross heating value is approximately 34.6 MJ/m (930 Btu/fE). 

Health nd Safety Factors. The mononitrochlorobenzenes are toxic substances which may be absorbed through the skin and lungs giving rise to methemoglobin. Their toxicity is about the same as or greater than that of nitrobenzene. The para isomer is less toxic than the ortho isomer, and the maximum allowable concentration that has been adopted for -nitrochlorobenzene is 1 mg/m (0.1 ppm) (6). The mononitrochlorobenzenes are moderate fire hazards when exposed to heat or flame. They ate classified by the ICC as Class-B poisons. The same handling precautions should be used for these compounds as are used for nitrobenzene. 

Although phosphine [7803-51-2] was discovered over 200 years ago ia 1783 by the French chemist Gingembre, derivatives of this toxic and pyrophoric gas were not manufactured on an industrial scale until the mid- to late 1970s. Commercial production was only possible after the development of practical, economic processes for phosphine manufacture which were patented in 1961 (1) and 1962 (2). This article describes both of these processes briefly but more focus is given to the preparation of a number of novel phosphine derivatives used in a wide variety of important commercial appHcations, for example, as flame retardants (qv), flotation collectors, biocides, solvent extraction reagents, phase-transfer catalysts, and uv photoinitiators. 

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