PVC and fires

[charlie.cray@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      dioxin-l@essential.org
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Despite the general denials and obfuscations concerning the role of 
PVC in the generation of toxic gases and dioxins in fires (some 
of which we've seen on this list, offered by representatives of 
industry), more information from the Dusseldorf example continues 
to point to PVC as a source of dioxins.  
 
I must comment that I find it ironic that industry points to the 
ASME study to back up the contention that it's not the presence 
of chlorine which determines dioxin formation, but combustion 
conditions, etc.  (of course, it's not either/or, but both). 
Since combustion conditions can hardly be controlled in 
accidental fires, this argument only adds to the concerns we have 
over the use of PVC in areas which may be susceptible to fires.
 
Industry's line that CO is the major killer in fires seems 
palpably absurd, given the incredible anecdotal evidence (ask any 
firefighter about plastic fires) and the warnings repeatedly 
issued by fire scientists about halogenated plastics and flame 
retardants, especially in items like cabling, where the potential 
damage is not only to humans (a primary concern), but also to 
expensive wiring systems, etc.
 
Here are excerpts of a press release by the municipality of 
Dusseldorf, issued on the 22nd of May and carried in the German 
press:
 
Headline: Detective style search for sources of toxins,
 
subtitle: Environment-Department: PVC participated
substantially to generation of toxins.
 
During the fire of 11th April great parts of the airport have
been contaminated by dioxins and furans. According to fire
experts different building materials might have contributed to
the toxification, such as PVC and various sealants.
 
In various labs a detective like search for the substances
causing dioxins and furans has begun. The head of the
environmental department Henning Friege has now presented
first results analyzing a mixed probe of the soot in the
flying ash. The soot contains about 10.9 percent chlorine.
Such amounts of chlorine indicate a hugh amount of chlorinated

building materials were involved in the fire. PVC is the only
building material that contains 50 percent of chlorine. This
conclusion is consistent with the public announcement of the
minister of justice (of NRW bh) Dr. Behrens, that the public
prosecutor assumes that a PVC channel was the starting point
of the smoldering fire. These findings show that PVC has at
least contributed substantially to the generation of the
toxins.
 
Friege: "Initially we tried to identify the sources from the
congeneric structure of the dioxins and furans. This however
was not possible. Meanwhile larger quantities of burned PVC
cables have been found in the airport. The soot contained as
well Barium and Antimony, which are used as additives to PVC-
cables. The investigations are continuing."
 
According to Friege chlorinated and brominated flame
retardants used in various plastics should have played a

role as well. "The soot contains traces of such flame
retardants. And a relatively high amount of the dioxins
contains chlorine and bromine as well."
 
end
 
P.S. 
In the past few days the consortium of insurance companies 
covering the Duesseldorf airport has cancelled the
insurance contracts with the airport. They will sue the
airport for some of the estimated 350 million Deutschmark
damage.
 
------
 
Translation of letter from Dr Goertz, Environment
Department, Office of the Town Clerk, Duesseldorf,
8 May 1996.
 
DUESSELDORF AIRPORT FIRE
 
A sectional sample was taken on 22 April from the soot
from the fire at the Duesseldorf airport main building - on
the departures floor.  This sample was analysed for an
extensive number of organic and inorganic parameters.
The results should indicate materials in the airport building
which in the fire might have contributed - among other
pollution - to high dioxin/furan pollution, such as
halogenated flame retardants, for example, in the soot
and smoke.
 
The low pH-value and high concentrations of chlorides and
bromides in the soot indicate the participation of large
amounts of organohalogen materials in the fire.
Substances which were or are very often used as flame retardants
(polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenylether,
etc.) were found in the soot.  The extent to which these
substances were actually used as flame protection or

first came into existence in the fire has yet to be clarified.
 
The PCDF/D pollution in the sample, 42.6 microgrammes ITE
per kilogramme, was somewhat low in comparison to other
soot samples taken outside the seat of the fire (130, 123
and 88 microgrammes per kilogramme).  At a concentration
of 1.1 microgrammes ITE/kg, the polybrominated
dibenzodioxin/furans were in themselves not very
significant, but the mixed halogenated PCBDF/Ds certainly
were.  Since no toxic equivalents are defined for these
substances, only their total sums can be compared.  These
were:
PCDF/D:  1.4 mg/kg.
PBDF/D:  0.2 mg/kg.
PCBDF/D: 0.7 mg/kg.
 
These figures also give rise to the suspicion that
brominated compounds (e.g. in flame retardants) also made
a significant contribution.

 
The heavy metals found in the soot (lead, antimony,
copper) may be taken as an indication that PVC cable casing,
which contains such heavy metals as stabilisers and flame
retardants, was involved to a substantial extent.
 
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