AbstractThe literature on rigid polyurethane foam has been reviewed with an emphasis on the gaseous products generated under various thermal decomposition conditions and the toxicity of those products. This review is limited to publications in English through 1984. Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) were the predominant toxicants found among more than a hundred other gaseous products. The generation of CO and HCN was found to increase with increasing combustion products from various rigid polyurethane foams. Lethality, incapacitation, physiological and biochemical parameters were employ as biological end points. In general, the combustion products generated from rigid polyurethane foam in the flaming mode appear from to be more toxic than those produced in the non‐flaming mode. TheLC50values for 30‐min exposures ranged from 10 to 17 mg l−1in the flaming mode and were greater then 34 mg l−1in the non‐flaming mode. With the exception of one case, in which a reactive type phosphorus containing fire retardant was used, the addition of fire retardants to rigid polyurethane foams does not appear to generate unusual toxic combustion