1. Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health Aalborg University Copenhagen Lars Schiøtt Sørensen Senior researcher, M.Sc., Ph.D. Danish Building Research Institute Aalborg University

2. Candle anathomy 2 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

3. 3 Figure 1 Enclosure fire with different “feedback” heat sources compared to a free burn fire. Room fire (enclosure fire) Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

4. 4 Enclosure fire versus free burn Test with a burning block acrylic (Drysdale) 4 Time Burning rate [g/s m²] Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

5. 5 Fire development Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

6. 6 Fire development Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

7. 7 Figure 11.5 Photos of fire development until flashover. Living room fire (NIST). A door to the test hall was open. Pictures of fire development until flashover. Fire in a living room with plastic foam upholstered furniture (NIST). Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

8. 8 Fire Growth rate : Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health Past fires Modern fires

9. Smoke generation Italpannelli - Producer of PIR-panels (fire 29. March 2016) 9 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

10. Italpannelli - Producer of PIR-panels 10 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

11. However tests were made… 11 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

12. Wiesenhof – chicken slaughterhouse (28. March 2016) Niedersachsen, Germany 12 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

13. Wiesenhof – chicken slaughterhouse (28. March 2016) Niedersachsen, 13 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

14. Modern furniture and building materials contain synthetic polymers that during combustion emit a large spectrum of toxic compounds, such as Acetaldehyde Formaldehyde Ammonia Hydrogen cyanide Nitrogen oxides Hydrogen chloride Phosgene Sulphur dioxide Chlorine 14 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

15. 15 Fire intensity (Energy Release Rate)

16. 16 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health Measurement of Energy Release Rate

17. 17 Energy Release Rate (ERR): Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

18. 18 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health Well-ventilated versus under-ventilated fire

19. 19 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health Well-ventilated versus under-ventilated fire

20. 20 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

21. 21 Source: Karlsson & Quintiere 2000 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

22. Combustion controlled fire … typical in the early fire process 22 AfAf Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

23. Ventilation controlled fire (….is there enough oxygen ?) 23 A0A0 H0H0 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

24. 24 ∆P l ∆P U mama mgmg p ρ a T a ρ g T g Inside pressure P i 0-plane Outside pressure P O Pressure profile during fire Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

25. 25 Smoke gases out of openings The well-mixed case Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

26. Cell foam (plastic insulation). Polymers. PIRPolyisocyanurate PURPolyurethane EPSExtruded Polystyrene PFPhenol Foam 26 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

27. 27 Lethal exposure time 1 Debilitating and lethal effects 2 Temperatu res 3 increased from 200 to 800 ºC Permanent temperatur e at 800 ºC Combustion with flames Combustion without flames IC 50 4 LC 50 5 IC 50 4 LC 50 5 PIR 19.8-21.25.6-6.0----- PUR 23.7-25.77.6-12.25.3 ±1.016.9 ±3.39.6 ±3.055.0 ±14.2570/540 PF 17.26.52.08.4 ±1.11.55.9 ±1.1750/730 EPS/XPS 26.315.415.3 ±3.329.0 ±4.927.0 ±3.166.0 ±13.0540/480 Tabel 4. Toxicity of combustion products. The lower the values of IC 50 and LC 50 the more toxic are the combustion products. Table values for IC 50 and LC 50 are in minutes. 1) Pál and Macskásy, 1991 2) Landrock, 1983 3) Angiver hvilken temperatur testmaterialet bliver afbrændt ved, dvs. ikke den temperatur, som forsøgsdyrene blev udsat for 4) IC 50 Tiden i minutter til 50 % af forsøgsrotterne er invaliderede 5) LC 50 Tiden i minutter til 50 % af forsøgsrotterne er døde. Toxicity related to cell foam plastic Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

28. 28 Ref: Lars Schiøtt Sørensen 2015 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

29. Conclusions Building fires today are developing faster, often more intensively and last, but not least, they are more toxic. The chemical mixture of smoke today is different compared with the smoke content 40-50 years ago. The reason for the change in smoke is mainly due to the introduction of new materials, but access (or limitation) of oxygen during the fire plays an important role too. 29 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health

30. Conclusions All these parameters have a negative impact on the health of firefighters and occupants, for instance as shorter available evacuation time due to: ◦ critical exposure temperature ◦ release of toxic compounds ◦ decrease of visibility And long term health risks 30 Fire development, intensity and toxicity COFISH 16 Conference on fire safety & health