Take a look at this study:
Z Rechtsmed. 1975 Sep 5;76(1):11-26.
Acute toxicity of the combustion products from various kinds of fibers.
Yamamoto K.
Abstract
Acute toxicity of the combustion products from various fibers was evaluated in animal experiments.
The materials used were cotton, gauze, acetate, rayon, polyester (PE), polychlal (PC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), silk, wool, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and modacryle (MA).
Rats, mice, and rabbits were exposed to gases released from these materials, heated with an electric heater. In experiments with rabbits animals inhaled gases through a tracheal cannula under urethane narcosis. As indices for toxicity, the time at which animals were impaired severely, was used in rat experiments while the death time was used in experiments with rabbits and mice. The concentrations of O2 and CO in the exposure room were determined continuously, blood COHb and cyanide values were also estimated. Gases from fibers containing nitrogen impaired severely and killed the animals earlier than any other materials. Blood analyses revealed the presence of high values of cyanide in PAN, MA, and silk experiments. HCN was considered to be responsible for the high toxicity of gases from these materials. In the case of wool, despite of high toxicity of its combustion products, blood cyanide and COHb values were not very high.
Gases from cotton, gauze, and rayon impaired severely and killed the animals relatively early in the exposure period. Toxicity of combustion products from these materials was attributable to CO on the basis of gas and blood analyses. Acute toxicity of PE and acetate gases, being less than that of cotton, gauze, rayon under the present experimental conditions, was explained mainly by CO. Neither severe impairment nor death occurred during exposure in PC and PVDC experiments.
PMID:
1217203
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
extracted from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1217203
This report LOOKS impressive but pretty worthless. Where are the numbers? Where are the percentages, the volumes, the parts per million? The Time Weighted Averages? Heck, burning tortillas will kill you if given enough volume and time! It is unusual for a report of this caliber to be missing the numbers. Looking at the red lettered sentence, animals were impaired severely and killed relatively early in the exposure period. Us humans can handle much more CO than rats or mice, and CO is cleansed from the body once we are back to clean air. Here is a chart of PPMs/CO and it's characteristics (source:
http://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Carbon_Monoxide_Exposure_Limits.htm).
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Table I. Effects of Carbon Monoxide Exposure and CO Exposure Limits
PPM CO Exposure Effects of Exposure of Carbon Monoxide at this level Source/comment
0 ppm No effects, this is the normal level in a properly-operating heating applianceNo carbon monoxide should be detected in residential properties. Possible brief technical exceptions occur.
9 ppm Maximum allowable short term exposure ASHRAE
10 - 24 ppm Investigation needed to find source; Health effects on humans uncertain.
25 ppm Maximum allowable TWA exposure limit OSHA. Used in personal CO alarms.
35 ppm Maximum allowable workplace exposure limit for an 8-hour work shift NIOSH (40 hour work week)
50 ppm Maximum allowable workplace exposure limit for an 8-hour work shift OSHA (40 hour work week)
125 ppm Workplace alarm must sound OSHA
200 ppm Evacuate the area immediately. Exposure at 200 ppm of CO causes dizziness, nausea, fatigue.
400 ppm Evacuate the area. 3 hour exposure may be fatal.
800-1600 ppm Evacuate the area. 2-3 hour exposure causes convulsions, loss of consciousness, death.
6400 ppm Evacuate the area. 30 minutes of exposure causes convulsions, loss of consciousness, death
12,800 ppm Evacuate the area. 1-3 minutes of exposure causes convulsions, loss of consciousness, death
(To convert from PPM to Percent, move the decimal 4 places to the left.)
According to the chart, at 200 ppm, a person would be experiencing dizziness, nausea, fatigue. Even at 6400 (0.6%) CO it would take 30 MINUTES to experience convulsions, loss of consciousness or death. This is 30 minutes of breathing in and out. That's a lot of VOLUME!
What WE need to know is the following...
1. How much CO ppm/Volume is produced from a burning cotton/rayon/gauze ball? (Glowing rather than flaming for real world vaping)
2. How much CO would be produced if we vaped dry and for how long?
3. How long would we keep our lips around that drip tube inhaling once we sense a dry hit?
4. How long for our lungs to recover from some idiot trying to break a record at #3?
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Here is an excerpt from a smoldering cellulose study (
http://www.iafss.org/publications/aofst/7/129/view)
TF3: Smouldering fire (cotton)
The glowing cellulose fire (TF3) was achieved by burning 90 pieces of braided cotton wicks, each
approximately 80 cm long and weighing approximately 3 g. The wicks were fastened to a ring 10 cm
in diameter and suspended approximately 1 m above a metal plate.
This is a low power output fire that produces large amounts of white smoke. The cotton fire in Hefei
developed faster. The carbon monoxide concentration rose to over 80 ppm in 5 minutes in Hefei, but in Lhasa it was about 10 minutes. The burning time of tests in Lhasa was longer, but the maximum of carbon monoxide concentration of tests in Lhasa and Hefei were approximate.
(Notice that 90 pieces of braided cotton wicks, 80 cm long at 3 grams were smoldered)
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Not knowing the original report numbers but knowing the chart numbers and the cellulose study, do you really, really think we have anything to worry about as far as CO is concerned??
YMMV