Why are the fumes from burning stuff *always* bad?

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Is it possible to create a plastic or paper that, if it burns, DOESN’T create toxic choking carcinogenic fumes? Or is there something inherent in oxidization of materials (esp organic ones) that creates byproducts incompatible with life?

I was reading about how toxic the smoke from a house fire is, and wondered if humans could engineer curtains or carpet that perhaps *can* burn — but with smoke that is relatively safe to breath.

i mean obviously it would be better if stuff wasn’t flammable in the first place, but, one thing at a time 🙂

In: Chemistry

8 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

“Bad” is subjective. Many people find the smell of burning fall leaves or wood smoke from a chimney evocative of a time or place. There is also the smell of an outdoor grill.

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