Lung Irritance and Inflammation during and after Exposures to Thermal Decomposition Products from Polymeric Materials

A study has been made of the mechanisms of incapacitation resulting from exposure to atmospheres of thermal decomposition products from polymeric materials. Individual cynomolgus monkeys were exposed to atmospheres increasing in separate experiments from very low concentrations until early physiological signs of incapacitation were detected. Atmospheres studied included thermal decomposition products of polyacrylonitrile, polyurethane foam, wood, polypropylene, polystyrene and nylon produced under pyrolytic or oxidative conditions at a range of temperatures. For some atmospheres the toxicity was dominated by signs of upper and lower respiratory tract irritance, which consisted of dyspnoea and hyperventilation during exposure. The condition of the animals appeared normal within 1–2 hours after exposure, but following exposures to atmospheres from 2 materials, flexible polyurethane foam and polypropylene, signs of late lung inflammatory responses similar to those occurring in some human fire survivors were observed 15–48 hours after exposure.