the literature on polyamides was reviewed to determine the nature and extent of information available on these materials which are commonly used in consumer and industrial applications. this review was limited to aliphatic polyamides normally called nylon typical pyrolysis products from a broad range of nylons do not appear to differ greatly. many of the decomposition products detected in vacuum pyrolysis experiments appear as products of thermal degradation in inert and air atmospheres. in air, a general reduction in the quantities of heavier hydrocarbons is noted along with an increase in the production of co, co//2, h//2o, nh//3, hcn and no//x. the toxicity of the thermal degradation products from various types of nylon has been evaluated by nine different protocols. dyes apparently do not affect the materials' combustion products toxicity but an increase in the amount of backcoating on a nylon fabric increases toxicity. time to death measurements show that volatile products from nylons are less toxic than those from rayons or cotton, while the blending of wool with nylon greatly increases the toxicity of the thermal decomposition products. (edited author abstract) 67 refs