title: Consequence analysis to determine the damage to humans from vapour cloud explosions using characteristic curves.
abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide a methodology to facilitate consequence analysis for vapour cloud explosions (VCE). Firstly, the main PROBIT equations to evaluate direct damage on humans from those accidents (eardrum rupture, death due to skull fracture, death due to whole body impact and lung damage) are discussed and the most suitable ones are selected. Secondly, a new methodology is developed to relate characteristic overpressure-impulse-distance curves for VCE, obtained in a previous paper (F. Diaz Alonso et al., Characteristic overpressure-impulse-distance curves for vapour cloud explosions using the TNO Multi-Energy model, J. Hazard. Mater. A137 (2006) 734-741) with the selected PROBIT equations. This methodology allows the determination of damage as a function of distance to the accident's origin in only one step, using explosion energy and VCE Multi-Energy charge strength as input parameters.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación de Seguridad e Higiene en la Industria. Departamento de Ingeniería Química. Falcultad de Química. Universidad de Murcia, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain. ferdiaz@um.es
authors.forename: Fernando Díaz
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Enrique González
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Ferradás
authors.forename: Teresa de Jesús Jiménez
authors.initials: Tde J
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Agustín Miñana
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Aznar
authors.forename: José Ruiz
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gimeno
authors.forename: Jesús Martínez
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000401:mortality; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005107:Explosions; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D055370:Lung Injury; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000209:etiology; D014835:Volatilization