Journal
of Hazardous
Elsewer
Science
Matenals.
Publishers
B V
9 (1984)
, Amsterdam
383-396 - Prmted
383 In The
Netherlands
Book Reviews
Fwe Protectron Handbook, 15th edn , National Batterymarch Place, Qumcy, MA 02269, NFPA Number FPH1581, $60
Fire Protection U S A, 1981,
Association, 1358 pages,
When the NatIonal Fire Protectlon Assoclatlon, a private non-proflt orgaruzatlon dedicated to the protectlon of hfe and property from unwanted fu-es and related disasters, published the first edltlon of this handbook m 1896, fire-flghtmg with hose streams and bucket brigades was still the norm Over the years, the NFPA has operated to rase the professional and sclentlflc aspects of fire preventlon, and this 15th edltlon contains the dlstllled essence of that work While much of the material m this edition IS, m fact, related to fire fightmg and the protection of human occupancy from fires, the chemist, engineer, and envlronmentahst will fmd much of value m it Even a cursory reading of Section 4, Fire Hazards of Materials, which occupies 131 pages, will furnish the reader with respect for the fire and pyrolysis aspects of this combustible world Starting with wood and wood-based products, the chapter Includes fibers and textties, flammable and combustible hqulds, gases, chemicals m general, explosives and blasting agents, plastics (further broken down into thermosets, thermoplastics, and elastomers, and mcludmg simple tests for identifying the more common plastics, and the fire behavior of plastics along with treatment to mmunlze combustron rates), dusts (mcludmg an excellent table of the explosion characterlstlcs of various dusts which extends over seven pages with fundamental data on the mdlvldual members), metals (mcludmg magnesium, titanium, sodium, lithium, potassium, zirconium, hafmum, calcium and zinc, as well as metals not normally consldered combustible such as alummum, Al alloys, iron and steel), and radloactive metals mcludmg thorium, uramum and plutomum Systems of ldentlflcatlon of the hazards of matenals are presented, mcludmg the NFPA 70-L M system which, for some reason not understood by this reviewer, has never achieved Its associated acceptance The placardmg of hazardous cargoes 1s noted III the 1981 frame, nothmg more than passing mention 1s made of the U N system usmg the four dlglt numbers (such as 1203 instead of spelhng out “gasolme”), which IS now en vogue and presents much greater problems of ldentlflcatlon to emergency personnel Other major sections of mterest to sclentlflc personnel include fire hazards of industrial occupancy, broken down mto electrlcal power sources, textlle manufacturing, plastics fabncatlon, rubber products, wood products, furnlture making, pulp and paper mills, paper products, printing and publishing, machme shops, vegetable and anunal oil processmg, clay products, asphalt, and dry cleaning plants. Process fire hazards are discussed m many processes. storage practices and hazards and special fire problems (such as electronic
384
computing/data processmg equlpment, laboratones, medical areas, pestlcldes and electrostatic lgnltlon) are included Fire extmgulshmg systems are explored, going beyond water to carbon dioxide, halons, dry chemicals, and foams, as are special combustible metal agents. Organlzatlons with fire protection interests m the US and m the U S Government are hsted in detal In general, this book 1s a most valuable reference in Its field, this being human’s friend yet, at time, a deadly foe HH
FAWCETT
Encyclopaedla
of Occupational Health and Safety, by Lulgl Parmegglanl (Ed ), 3rd revised edn., International Labour Orgamzatlon, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland, 1983, m two volumes, 2538 pages, available from the IL0 offlces in member countries, US$155, postpald
To adequately review this massive tome would require more pages than practical, for this edition which weighs 6810 grams (15 pounds) contams 1150 articles prepared by 900 speclahsts from 60 different countries and 20 mternatlonal organlzatlons It 1s truly a “goldmme” for anyone who wishes a quick three-or-four page summary of the potentlal hazards to which the human condltlon exposes its tolling members It must be noted that the ILO, as a part of the Umted Nations, IS especially interested in asslstmg developing countries with occupational health and safety problems, many of which go back m time to antiquity The articles, in general, are well written, and give two or three references Many references are in languages which are not readily available to the English-oriented readers The Russian and Japanese Input 1s very slgmflcant Where possible, the editor cites CIS references Volume I, A to L, contams, among other topics, articles as wide-ranging as abbatolrs and abrasive cleaners, acrolem, acetylammofluorene, acetone, amldes, ammotrlazole, anthrax, antlblotlcs, asbestos (first recognized as the cause of flbrosls of the lung by Montague Murray m London in 1899), mesothehoma and lung cancer (a more recent discovery dating to 1947), carcinogenic substances, cardiovascular diseases, catalysts, occupational DDT, dlbromochloropropane, ethylene oxide, explosive subcataracts, stances, farmer’s lung, exposure hmlts for chemicals and also for blologlcal mater& (the latter especially well presented by Dr. D DJuric of Yugoslavia), fibers (man-made and natural), firemen and fire hghtmg, as well as prevention, health physics, n-hexane, human engmeermg, hydrofluorlc acid, mdlum, iodine, and Klenbock’s disease (the latter a semi-lunar osteonecrosls of the wrist from repeated forced extensions of the wrist), to name only a few In Volume II, the fast article, laboratory workers, 1s reprinted vn-tually wlthout change from the 1972 edition (the author was not given the opportunity to update it), followed by chemical laboratory work and mlcro-