Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 85-540-1816, International Association of Fire Fighters, Washington, DC

Technical Report · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:5482634

Burr, G A

In response to a request from the International Association of Fire Fighters, the toxicity of the commercially available chimney-fire extinguishing product Chimfex was evaluated. In a simulated worse case situation (minimal ventilation and no containment of the extinguisher), area air sampling was performed. Substances detected in the air samples included zinc, zinc-oxide, sulfur-dioxide barium-oxide, and cadmium-oxide. Sulfur-dioxide concentrations ranged from 0.39 to 0.63mg/cu m, and cadmium-oxide concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 0.02mg/cu m. The presence of cadmium was not expected. Zinc oxide fumes ranged from 6.4 to 48mg/cu m which exceeded the NIOSH recommended ceiling limit of 15mg/cu m for 15 minutes. The author concludes that a potential health hazard may exist from exposure to zinc oxide fumes among users of Chimfex if used in poorly ventilated or confined spaces. The author recommends that a statement regarding the principal decomposition products and their health effects be placed on the product, both the container and the extinguisher itself.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5482634
• Report Number(s): PB-88-149257/XAB; HETA-85-540-1816
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
ZINC OXIDES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
BARIUM OXIDES
CADMIUM OXIDES
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INSPECTION
SULFUR DIOXIDE
TOXICITY
VENTILATION
ZINC
AIR POLLUTION
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
ELEMENTS
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
ZINC COMPOUNDS
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
552000 - Public Health