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Aircraft fires, smoke toxicity, and survival
1Civil Aeromedical Institute, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Oklahoma City 73125-5066, USA.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|March 1, 1996
Summary
Aircraft post-crash fires pose a significant risk due to smoke inhalation. Research analyzes combustion toxicology to improve aviation fire safety and survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Aviation Safety
- Combustion Toxicology
- Forensic Science
Background:
- In-flight aircraft fires are rare, but post-crash fires are a concern.
- Cabin occupants often survive crashes but succumb to smoke inhalation.
- Fire and smoke toxicity contribute significantly to fatalities in aircraft accidents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of smoke toxicity in fatal aircraft accidents.
- To advance the understanding of combustion toxicology from descriptive to mechanistic.
- To establish relationships between smoke exposure, blood levels, and incapacitation.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory analysis of postmortem blood samples for carboxyhemoglobin and cyanide levels.
- Development of gas analysis methods and combustion/animal-exposure assemblies.
- Animal model studies to establish dose-response relationships for smoke gases.
Main Results:
- Over 360 individuals in 134 fatal accidents had impairing carboxyhemoglobin levels.
- Fire/smoke toxicity accounted for 22% of deaths in U.S. transport aircraft accidents (1985-1991).
- Ongoing research focuses on material toxicity, smoke gas interactions, and incapacitation thresholds.
Conclusions:
- Understanding combustion toxicology is crucial for enhancing aviation safety.
- Further basic research is needed to address the complexities of smoke toxicity.
- Improved knowledge will increase chances of fire survival in aviation incidents.