A Basic Approach to Plastics and Combustibility For Responders and Safety Managers. The author compares and contrasts plastics pyrolysis with ''traditional materials'' to help the reader gain a better understanding of the combustion process. In addition, the author discusses the products that are given off when plastic is burned, providing valuable information for all personnel responding to structure or vehicle fires. The book closes by discussing the issues and tests used in determining the toxicity of plastics. Contents: Preface; How to use this book; The chemistry of plastics: A primer; Principles of combustion; Plastics: An overview; Descriptions of individual plastics; Additives: Other chemicals that might be found in plastics; The combustion of plastics; Flame retardants and flame retarded plastics; Fire tests; Toxicity testing; Abbreviations for plastics; Plastics trade names; Glossary; Fire tests and miscellaneous tables; References; Addresses of international code and standards setting organizations; Abbreviations for code bodies and standards setting organizations; Index.