Okay, this is starting to make some sense. Viton, while certainly used in
cars, is quite expensive compared to other synthetic rubbers, and so is used
only in locations that absolutely require it, like the rubber replacements
for the cork O-rings in a H6 carb. It certainly would not be used for door
gaskets, body gaskets, etc.
If you really want something to worry about when crawling around a burnt
car, consider that Freon, when heated in the presence of copper, forms
phosgene gas. Phosgene is so deadly that it was used as an anti-personnel
weapon in WW-I. One of the 'wonderful' things about it was that it takes
some 10 hours to become effective. By the time you smell it, you're dead,
you just don't know it yet.
Randall
john Kossup wrote :
>
> I have only caught a part of this chain. I am a fire Captain
> for a large
> city fire department. A few years back we recieved a fire
> marshals advisory
> regarding "Viton" type rubber materials. I cannot remember
> all of the
> particulars but the jist of it was that in a car fire situation, with
> extreme heat, the viton type rubber materials do decompose
> into a dangerous
> acid type product. My personal belief is that in the day to
> day aspect of
> working on our LBC's we will not encounter sufficient heat to
> allow this
> product to decompose, however having the above knowledge,
> just don't stay in
> your car if its on fire !!!. Hope this helps.
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