Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Hilado, C. J..
Fourteen samples of building materials were evaluated for relative toxicity using the USF/NASA toxicity screening test method. There appeared to be no major differences in relative toxicity under these conditions between different samples of cellulosic board products and roofing felts.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Test methods require reference materials to standardize and maintain quality control. Various materials have been evaluated as possible reference materials, including a sample of bisphenol A polycarbonate without additives. Screening tests for relative toxicity under various experimental conditions were performed using male mice exposed to pyrolysis effluents over a 200-800 C temperature range. It was found that the bisphenol A polycarbonate served as a suitable reference material as it is available in large quantities, and does not significantly change with time.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Times to incapacitation and death and LC /50/ values were determined for Swiss albino male mice exposed to different concentrations of ammonia in a 4.2 liter hemispherical chamber. The LC/50/ for a 30 minute exposure was 21,430 ppm.
The variation in response of different lots of male Swiss albino mice to pyrolysis effluents from surgical cotton and from bisphenol A polycarbonate, and to pure carbon monoxide, is discussed. The variation appeared to be less with the pyrolysis gases from polycarbonate than with pure carbon monoxide.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Several gaseous products of pyrolysis and combustion have been evaluated for LC/50/, defined as the concentration of toxic gas in the atmosphere being inhaled by test animals that will produce death in 50% of the animals within a given time period. The products tested included CO, HCl, HF, HCN, NO2, and SO2. It was found that HCN and NO2 were consistently the most toxic of the gases reviewed, and that mice were more susceptible than rats to HCl and HF, although less susceptible than rats to NO2. Extrapolation of LC/50/ data to humans indicates that metabolic rate may be a valid basis for extrapolation when the toxicity mechanism is interference with oxygen transport and utilization, or pulmonary edema, but not when it is irritation and damage to the upper respiratory tract.
A bibliography containing 883 references in the field of fire toxicity is presented to assist in literature searches to help reduce human fire hazards.
Samples of polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, and polystyrene were evaluated using the Arapahoe smoke chamber. These same materials had been previously evaluated using the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) smoke chamber. The percent smoke based on initial weight as determined using the Arapahoe smoke chamber appeared to correlate with the maximum specific optical density under flaming conditions as determined using the NBS smoke chamber. In addition, the percent smoke based on weight loss as determined using the Arapahoe smoke chamber appeared to correlate with the maximum specific optical density under nonflaming conditions as determined using the NBS smoke chamber. The Arapahoe smoke chamber also offers the advantage of high sample throughput and the possibility of related studies of smoke particulates.
Ten samples of composite panels were evaluated in the smoke chamber using a high flux heater to produce heat flux levels up to 9.5 watts per square cm. This study demonstrated the potential of the apparatus as a means of evaluating ignitability as well as smoke evolution. Depending on the material and the heat flux level, ignitability results ranged from ignition within 2 seconds to no ignition during the test period. Smoke density generally increased with increasing heat flux. A composite panel consisting of bismaleimide-fiberglass/bismaleimide honeycomb with carbon microballoons exhibited the lowest smoke density at high heat flux levels and the greatest resistance to autoignition.
A simple laboratory method for determining flash fire propensity of materials is described. The apparatus consists of a tube furnace and a combustion tube. The ignition source can be a wooded match but the hot pyrolysis tube itself may be the most suitable ignition source. Test results are presented for various materials including polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyurethane and polychloroprene flexible foams.
Results of screening tests of materials for relative toxicity under specific sets of conditions are presented. Variations in the material, in lab animals, and in the test presently permit identification of major rather than minor differences among materials. Correlation with relative performance in real fire situations is based on a limited number of comparisons.
Two systems for exposing animals in full-scale fire tests are described. Both systems involve the simultaneous exposure of two animal species, mice and rats, in modular units; determination of mortality, morbidity, and behavioral response; and analysis of the blood for carboxyhemoglobin. The systems described represent two of many possible options for obtaining bioassay data from full-scale fire tests. In situations where the temperatures to which the test animals are exposed can not be controlled, analytical techniques may be more appropriate than bioassay techniques.
Suitable reference materials need to be selected in order to standardize any test method. The evaluation of cotton, polyethylene, polyether sulfone, polycarbonate, polystyrene, and polyurethane flexible and rigid foams as possible reference materials for the University of San Francisco/NASA toxicity screening test method is discussed.
Small-scale laboratory tests for fire toxicity, suitable for use in the average laboratory hood, are needed for screening and ranking materials on the basis of relative toxicity. The performance of wool, cotton, and aromatic polyamide under several test procedures is presented.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Continuing efforts to improve the University of San Francisco/NASA toxicity screening test method have included the addition of exercise wheels to provide a different measure of incapacitation, and oxygen replenishment to offset any effect of oxygen depletion by the test animals. The addition of exercise wheels limited the number of animals in each test and doubled the required number of tests without any significant improvement in reproducibility. Oxygen replenishment appears to have an effect on survival in the last 5 minutes of the 30-minute test, but the effect is expected to be similar for most materials.