To assess the impact of alcohol and other drug use in the trucking industry, the National Transportation Safety Board, in collaboration with The National Institute on Drug Abuse investigated fatal-to-the-driver trucking accidents in eight states over a one year period.
Comprehensive drug screens were performed on blood specimens collected from 168 fatally injured drivers. One or more drugs were detected in 67% of the drivers and 33% of the drivers had detectable blood concentrations of psychoactive drugs or alcohol. The most prevalent drugs were cannabinoids and ethanol, each found in 13% of the drivers. Cocaine or benzoylecgonine was found in 8% of the cases. Seven percent of the driver's blood specimens contained amphetamine or methamphetamine and 7% contained phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, or pseudoephedrine.
A panel of toxicologists reviewed the accident investigation report and the toxicology findings for each case and determined that impairment due to marijuana use was a factor in all cases where the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration exceeded 1.0 ng/mL and that alcohol impairment contributed to all accidents where the blood alcohol concentration was 0.04% wt/vol or greater. In 50 of 56 cases where psychoactive drugs or alcohol were found, impairment due to substance use contributed to the fatal accident.
Seven laboratories selected from academia, industry, and government evaluated the 1980 version of the NBS test method for assessing the toxicity of combustion products in order to determine the operability of the procedure and the reproducibility of results across laboratories. The experimental design specified that each laboratory was responsible for testing Douglas fir and three other materials from a total of twelve natural and synthetic materials. All laboratories were required to use similar exposure and combustion systems, to measure the autoignition temperatures of their materials, to determine the toxicity of the gaseous products released by the materials under both flaming and nonflaming conditions, to monitor chamber environmental conditions (temperatures, and oxygen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide concentrations), and to measure blood carboxyhemoglobin in the test animals (rats). In addition, a few laboratories measured the hydrogen cyanide generated from nitrogen-containing materials. Toxicity was evaluated on the basis of incapacitation (hind-leg flexion behavioral avoidance response) during the 30 minute exposure and of lethality during the exposure and 14 day post-exposure observation period. The results of this interlaboratory evaluation were statistically analyzed and, in most cases, demonstrated reproducible results across laboratories. Possible reasons for any inconsistencies are discussed. Sensitive experimental factors are identified and modifications to the test method which resulted from the experimental data collected during the interlaboratory evaluation are described.
Over a six-year period, 530 fire fatalities resulting from 398 fires were studied in the State of Maryland. The study had two major objectives: (1) to determine the specific cause of death by a detailed autopsy study of fire victims, and (2) to determine the specific cause of fatality-producing fire by an on-the-scene fire investigation. The fire fatality study was limited to residential fires and to fatalities that occurred within 6 h of the fire, The results of the toxicological analysis show that (1) 60% of the victims had a carboxyhemoglobin value greater than or equal to 50 % carbon monoxide saturation, (2) an additional 20 % had elevated carboxyhemoglobin with preexisting cardiovascular disease, (3) 11 % of the victims had severe burns, (4) 9% were unexplained and (5) 40% of the victims had positive blood alcohol levels with 30% of these meeting the legal definition of intoxication (blood alcohol > 0.1 %). The fire investigations confirmed that the predominant fatal scenario is the cigarette ignition of upholstered furniture or bedding. This scenario accounted for 47% of the fires and 44% of the victims. Alcohol also appears to be a significant factor in this scenario.
Pyrolysis of a commercial flexible urethane foam in an inert atmosphere was investigated by use of GCMS and chemical ionization mass spectroscopy. Pyrolysis products were identified and quantified at four pyrolysis temperatures. A mechanism is discussed in terms of the identified products.
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