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Toxins In Insulation in a Fire
LC50 = A classification system presented to rate the acute lethal potential of each
material on the basis of the amount of material required to generate sufficient smoke to
kill 50% of the animals within 30 minutes of exposure and 10 minutes of postexposure.
LT50 = A time-response relationship to consider in fire situations since time for escape prior to incapacitation or death is critical. Since the time at which 50% of the animals died was also obtained and reported this classification system represents a comparison of materials on this basis.
| Common Insulations |
LT50 Similar to Std |
LC50 Similar to Std |
LC50 per 2000 sq. ft. house |
| Douglas Fir (Std) | n/a | n/a | 94 |
| Closed-Cell PUF | Yes | Yes | 41 |
| Ext. Polystyrene | - | - | - |
| Exp. Polystyrene | No | Yes | 73 |
| Open-Cell PUF | - | - | - |
| Cellulose | Yes | Yes | 35 |
| Glass-Fiber Batts | Yes | No | 12 |
Source: Department of Industrial Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, PA. (1981)
