Air crash survival: injuries and evacuation toxic hazards.

Carbon monoxide and cyanide gas have resulted from inflight or post-crash fires which have pyrolyzed certain cabin interior materials. Three air carrier accidents have been studied in depth from the standpoint of carbon monoxide effects on passengers. Post-crash hydrogen cyanide in victim blood levels has similarly been investigated and certain laboratory synergistic studies of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide have been conducted. The latter investigations indicate that a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide has a pharmacologic effect which exceeds that of either alone. The effect is that of incapacitation, and certain remedial steps are possible which diminish the production of these substances during post-crash fires.