 normally one expects that flame contact is the major cause of injury and death during fires . 
 analysis of the factors involved in numerous fires has revealed that most deaths were not due to flame contact , but were a consequence of the production of carbon monoxide , nitrogen oxides , and other combustion products , such as aldehydes , low molecular weight alcohols , hydrogen cyanide , and other noxious species . 
 the major emphasis within the scope of this paper relates to the physiological and toxicological aspects of smoke produced during the combustion of materials . 
 special emphasis is directed toward laboratory procedures which have been developed to determine the qualitative and quantitative analysis of smoke , factors pertaining to smoke development , and to measure the response of laboratory animals exposed to smoke . 
 the effects that fire retardants , incorporated into polymeric materials as a means of improving flammability characteristics , may have on smoke development , the mechanism of polymer degradation , and on the survival response of laboratory animals are also considered.imagesfigure 1.figure 2.figure 3.figure 4.figure 5.figure 6.figure 7.figure 8.figure 9 . 
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