TOXIC COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF 3 PESTICIDES

In many countries, there are a large number of chemical plants and warehouses that handle and store substantial amounts of hazardous substances, such as pesticides. Chemical fires seem to be one of the most important hazards of these activities. However, very little information exists on combustion products in general, except for some information on combustion products from plastics, furnitures and fabrics. In this study, the aim was to gather, investigate and compare results obtained using different kinds of small-scale experiments. The test methods used were the DIN 53 436 furnace and the cone calorimeter. It is very important to obtain more information on combustion products which could be used in risk assessment of chemical storage facilities and for development of new environmentally safer chemical products. In this study, determination of the combustion products of only three pesticides has been carried out. However, hundreds of pesticides are in use worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to continue this type of study with other pesticides in order to establish general rules for prediction of combustion products. Investigations of the environmental impact of combustion products and suitable methods of fire-fighting in different situations are important.