RT Book, Section
A1 Charlton, Nathan P.
A1 Kirk, Mark A.
A2 Hoffman, Robert S.
A2 Howland, Mary Ann
A2 Lewin, Neal A.
A2 Nelson, Lewis S.
A2 Goldfrank, Lewis R.
SR Print(0)
ID 1108437492
T1 Smoke Inhalation
T2 Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, 10e
YR 2015
FD 2015
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071801843
LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1108437492
RD 2024/04/19
AB Smoke  is  generated  as  the  result  of  thermal  degradation  of  a  material;  it  is  a  complex  mixture  of  heated  air,  suspended  solid  and  liquid  particles  (aerosols),  gases,  fumes,  and  vapors.  Particulates  and  aerosols  typically  make  these  thermal  degradation  products  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  resulting  in  the  black,  acrid  substance  so  often  thought  of  as  “smoke”;  however,  thermal  decomposition  also  results  in  generation  of  gaseous  substances  that  are  invisible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  ever-growing  variety  of  materials  used  in  our  environment  contributes  to  the  broad  spectrum  of  products  present  in  typical  smoke.26  The  chemical  composition  of  the  parent  materials,  oxygen  availability,  and  temperature  at  the  time  of  decomposition  determines  the  combustion  products  found  in  smoke  (Table  128–1).99,112  As  a  result  of  these  variabilities,  specific  thermal  degradation  products  resulting  from  a  fire  are  difficult  to  predict;  in  fact,  even  the  composition  of  smoke  is  quite  variable  within  the  same  fire  environment.112