10/10/2023 0 Comments Lilly cyanide antidote kit![]() HCN production depends upon the materials burning, oxygen levels and temperature. ![]() Just as there are no two fires that are exactly the same, this also applies to HCN production. This lack of ventilation also leads to increased HCN and CO levels. This leads to more products of combustion being entrained in the fire plume as opposed to leaking to the outside. More energy efficient construction yields tighter buildings. Newer construction techniques, in addition to newer materials also contribute to HCN production. It continues to be produced during smoldering fires however. ![]() HCN may also be found in outside fires in vehicles and dumpsters in addition to vehicle exhaust (something for all Fire Equipment Operators out there to be aware of.) HCN is highly flammable and much of it will burn away during combustion. In 2004, 1.838 billion pounds of cyanide was produced in the United States with the majority being used to produce materials for building construction and interior furnishings. Some materials such as polyacrylonitrile convert half of their mass to HCN while burning. These products are found in common household items such as mattresses, carpeting, upholstered furniture and blankets. HCN is a highly toxic gas that is formed when such materials as wool, silk, cotton, nylon, plastics, polymers, foam, melamine and synthetic rubber burn. Not much thought has been given to HCN even though it is 35 times more toxic than carbon monoxide. More attention was paid to carbon monoxide, the "silent killer", and its effects on fire victims that succumbed to smoke inhalation. One of the products mentioned was hydrogen cyanide (hereafter referred to as HCN). When we started our fire service careers, one of the first things we learned about was products of combustion.
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