ISO 29904:2013

Overview

ISO 29904:2013 - Fire chemistry - Generation and measurement of aerosols is an international guidance standard for measuring aerosols produced by fires. It describes how fire-generated aerosols are formed, defines apparatus and procedures for sampling and measurement, and gives guidance for interpretation and reporting. The standard helps users choose appropriate aerosol measurement methods for different hazards to people and the environment and identifies the scope, applicability and limitations of each method.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Aerosol generation in fires: characteristics of soot, liquid droplets and ash; particle morphology, size ranges (from nm to >10 µm) and evolution during and after formation.
• Physical transport mechanisms: plume dispersal, coagulation/agglomeration, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis and sedimentation.
• Gas–aerosol interactions: adsorption/absorption of gases and vapours on particles and implications for inhalation and environmental transport.
• Sampling and measurement methods: overview of categories (in situ and extractive), principles of operation, method descriptions, data outputs, and advantages/limitations for each approach.
• Metrology and calibration: generation of “standard aerosols”, qualification/verification of generators, calibration exigencies, validation and estimation of measurement uncertainties.
• Interpretation and reporting: recommended calculations, presentation of results and guidance on uncertainties.
• Physiological and environmental relevance: how inhalable, thoracic and alveolar fractions, and particle chemistry (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on soot) relate to health, visibility and environmental deposition.
• Hazards from carbon particles and smoke: size, morphology and chemical nature of smoke particles that affect visibility and toxicity.

Practical applications

ISO 29904:2013 is used to:

• Design fire tests that include aerosol characterization (visibility, toxicity, deposition).
• Select and validate measurement techniques during accidental fires and fire experiments.
• Interpret aerosol data for fire safety assessments (escape/visibility analyses, toxic exposure modelling).
• Support environmental impact assessments for large or prolonged fires.
• Calibrate and validate aerosol instrumentation and standard aerosol generators for fire-relevant conditions.

Who should use this standard

• Fire test designers and fire safety engineers
• Occupational health and safety professionals and toxicologists
• Environmental scientists and emergency response teams
• Instrument manufacturers, metrologists and laboratory analysts
• Nuclear safety and industrial hazard assessors

Related standards

• ISO 13943 - Fire safety: Vocabulary (normative reference)
• See also ISO 13571 for assessment of life‑threatening components of fire (visibility and toxic effects)

Keywords: ISO 29904:2013, fire chemistry, aerosol generation, measurement of aerosols, fire aerosols, smoke, soot, aerosol metrology, sampling methods, particle size distribution, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis.