Document e5egpdykd1DKxK29mQO1DvB09

S If SA-44 BAKEUTE DIVISION 'JMION CARBIDE AND CARBON C RPORATtON ....... y u' i : -'Y. j, . KECEIVED WAY 2 91S5Q |ND, TOXICOLOGY DEPT. Mr. W, C. Ro*sel-1901 ---^-^Dr. T. W* .Kale-203-300 Madison Mr. 0. 0. Miller-1101 Mr. y. ft. frice-1101 May 2$, Ur* Leopold A. Halperin lt20 Lexington Avenue Row Tork, X. I. V ^ n| Dear Ur. Halperin* Itt accordance with your recent request we are writing you to discuss the behavior of Virylite" plastic sheeting in ease of fire. The particular sheeting used by Plastic Innovations, Inc. is .012 inches thick and is composed essentially of a vinyl ohloride-acetate copolymer resin end a plasticiser which Is added to Impart flexibility. Such sheeting in this thickness is difficult to ignite. Then once ignited it Is slow burning end usually stops burning just as soon as the source of ignition originating or perpetuating a fire is removed. We have attempted to Ignite, with a cigarette lighter, an inflated toy manufactured fay Plastic Innovations and designated "Cop*. Ve fomd that It was difficult to do so. A small area directly in contact with the flame of the lighter burned but ceased burning just as soon as the flame Aram the lighter was removed. This is in accordance with our own end our customers* experience with sheetings of this type, le have manufactured and sold many millions of pounds of these general types of materials without any instance having bean brought to our attention that they contributed either to the magnitude or to the hazard of a fire. There are various haxards to health or life Involved in the ease of ary fire of any magnitude. These include* 1) Danger from burning due to flame or heat - It is apparent that any material suoh as *7inylite" sheeting which ignites with difficulty la leas hazardous than more readily ignited materials such as textiles, paper, to. especially with respeet to Initiating a fix*. 2) Danger from asphyxiation due ts the lack of an adequate concen- ^ tyetion of oxygen being present end eeused both by the burning materials themsslves ''V MMnaing oxygen and by the dilution of the oxygen present with aeeh decomposition products as carbon dioxide - The disappearance of oxygen and. the formation of Carbon dioxide are associated with the oombustion of ary ergamlf materials such as cotton, wool, paper, wood, plasties, ate. ^..r_- 3) Dmger from aaibon maomdda Xn the presence ef lmsaffleient amounts of air, earns ef the eerbea present in organic compounds sen yield carbon monoxide rather than inert eaxfaon dioxide. Other highly toxic gases can be ucc 063493 r BAKEUTE DIVISION union cARBiHr^ftootwta1 jtSRff#3fcpevin May 2$, 1950 liberated from wool end other materials containing nitrogen* ' The "Vinylite" abeeting contains no nitrogen* The amount of carbon nonoxide produced by - - relatively snail quantities of any organic material Including toys made from Vinylite* sheeting would be so snail as to constltate no hassrd* h) Danger from smoke and other decomposition products - In ease f fire various daconposltlon products are formed by the partial combustion of all organic materials. Many of these are Irritating to the body membranes* Vten the Vinylite* sheeting is decomposed by flame or heat from another source cone vapors are liberated* These are acidic In nature and can be irritating to body membranes If present in sufficient concentration* Smoke from burning paper, cotton or wood can have substantially the same physiological effect* In view of the fact that there is less than an ounce of vinyl chloride-acetate resin in an inflatable toy "Cop", the quantity of all decomposition products evolved from this amount of material would be very small, and insignificant If a greater weight of other materials such as bed linen, blanks ts, etc* were burning concurrently* The information which we have on the accident which prompted your Inquiry is very meagre. Should it develop that you obtain more information, we would be very glad to receive It. Tours very truly. HPEbbertsoniBsa# Manager of Development Thermoplastics Department UCC 063494