Poison

Safety First! Precautions/procedures and equipment.

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Niall
Posts: 527
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:45 pm

Poison

Post by Niall »

Just a quick note to say research your chemicals. After trawling the internet out of sheer boredom, I notice in a lot of videos and articles that, rightly, a strong emphasis is placed on prevention of undesirable ignition. I have also seen a lot of bad practices in videos.

However, I have seen disproportionately little about inhalation, absorption and ingestion or environmental concerns.

Many chemicals may be carcinogenic, dangerous to the lungs or hyperallergenic on the whole. Some may have a cumulative effect, others may be capable of instantaneous and irreversible damage. I read a recent case where a dinner party ingested a sufficient dose of barium carbonate, in their food, that several people died of the effects. I believe the event occurred in India, policemen at an evening meal were given bread that had been contaminated with barium carbonate. The barium carbonate was stored as a pest control agent and was mistakenly transferred to the flour. Many of the people were dead within hours, some due to the hospital facilities being overwhelmed by 41 cases of the same symptoms, some because of the totality of the effect.

The reason I point this case out is that the barium was used in error, poor management of hazardous chemicals is the only explanation that could allow this to happen, irrespective of culpability.

Before you open a bag/bottle, go on the Internet, just like you are now - you must be if you are reading this! It doesn't take a minute. Even better, print off the information. Wikipedia is a good resource, it gives a framework to start from. Hazmat sheets are readily printable. Or chemical data resources.

If you have information to hand it can make all the difference. If you refresh your mind before each use of the rarer chemicals you use you can take precautions to prevent misadventure. If an unfortunate breach of safety occurs, you are giving yourself an up to date response option.

Keep your info updated, just because something is in writing, that does not prohibit new information being known.

Your memory is crap. No matter who you are or think you are. You'd be surprised what you 'know for certain' only to find your brain fooled you.

This stuff is serious. Perchlorates are poisonous for example, but it is mishandled because of the perceived relative safety compared to chlorates. Less dangerous says nothing about safety. Something is safe or it is not. Otherwise you are only mitigating danger!

If you don't keep your working areas clean and you poison yourself, how will you know which chemical your body is reacting to? What will you expect the hospital to do for you if you dong know what is killing you?

I think I've bored you enough if you have got this far.

Label everything. Everything. Label your stars with dangerous ingredients as well as the names of the effects.

Work on fresh, cheap kraft or A3 or similar, discard it after every use.

Spend proper money on a dust mask and keep it clean.

Never, never do anything without a suitable glove.

Get some good goggles, we can't grow eyes back.

Keep your arms covered up or use care in where you let them contact chemicals.

Keep ventilated.

Have a response option. Never have to use it.
All wretch and no vomit.......
Tyvole
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:55 pm

Re: Poison

Post by Tyvole »

Not boring at all Niall. Personally, being neither a chemist nor an experienced pyro, I treat all pyro materials as hazardous (including our old friend charcoal), since most of it is in the form of fine powders, this in itself representing a danger even if the material is not otherwise toxic in some way (rare!).

I made a point of buying and applying a selection of relevant hazard labels to my chems containers. I am also in the process of compiling a quick-reference chart for the more commonly used materials, showing relevant data extracted from official MSDS. It's a bit of a tedious job, but when it's done, I'll share it, so that others can update it to meet their particular requirements.
"If you don't learn anything, what's the point?"
Niall
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Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:45 pm

Re: Poison

Post by Niall »

Charcoal is carcinogenic!!
All wretch and no vomit.......
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Pyro-Gear
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Re: Poison

Post by Pyro-Gear »

And allegedly so is burnt Bacon! Seriously http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 955AAoEuko Nitrate Again.
Tyvole
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Re: Poison

Post by Tyvole »

Damn! That was always my favourite part...
"If you don't learn anything, what's the point?"
Niall
Posts: 527
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:45 pm

Re: Poison

Post by Niall »

Just for the sake of pub facts, nitrites have been linked to bowel cancer. The nitrates and nitrites of sodium are used for keeping the colour in meat and as a preventative measure against botulism. They appear naturally elsewhere in our foods but as with anything it is regularity and dosage that should be moderated. Nitrosamines developed in the stomach acid with these chemicals are also carcinogenic in large quantities.

Many of you will no doubt be shocked to discover that we are, on average, likely to develop a cancerous cluster around seven times a year. Usually the body shuts these irregularities down by way of apoptosis, a natural cell regulator that references the DNA of the cells to determine their efficiency.but sometimes cells escape scrutiny, much like a virus dominates and commands your cells, until the body spots it. Your cells are normally shut down for your protection, like a bee hive will kill a rogue bee from the hive if she decides to lay eggs.

Forget Jesus, your cells are sacrificed daily so that you may live. The short of it is, don't consume stuff that cancerous cells enjoy.

One more (possibly) interesting fact is that telomerase sufficiently administered to a cell becomes an elixir for 'eternal life' in the cell. Telomerase is an enzyme that lengthens an important section of DNA, the section that says 'copy me'. Now when DNA is copied, the first instructions are 'copy me' but the enzyme that reads the DNA doesn't know what to do until it has read the 'copy me' instruction, so the DNA strand is copied, except it will be shorter by a section of 'copy me' instructions. Telomeres shortening advances our aging condition.

Telomerase rebuilds these sections. The twist is that cancers will produce their own telomerase to extend their own life, whilst consuming the nutrition and respitory mechanisms of the body for themselves, at the cost of the body and ultimately itself.

So what is good for you is just as bad for you! Everything in moderation and the bad things avoided, keep fit.

Can you tell I'm bored?
All wretch and no vomit.......
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richardh08
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Re: Poison

Post by richardh08 »

Yes :lol:
Mind you, having just spent a couple of hours rolling dozens of little report tubes, I can sympathise.
Even when I'm wrong, I'm convincing.
Niall
Posts: 527
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:45 pm

Re: Poison

Post by Niall »

Ha ha! I'm meant to be writing something on priming, but typical me, I'm doing everything else but the job I'm meant to be doing!
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richardh08
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Re: Poison

Post by richardh08 »

Niall, I've PMed you a suggestion.
Even when I'm wrong, I'm convincing.
ollie1016
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Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 6:13 pm

Re: Poison

Post by ollie1016 »

Very well said (regarding Niall's initial post). Lots of people get bored of reading safety information and sometimes don't take the necessary safety precautions. It's a very hard way to learn if you get caught up in an accident etc. Even breathing in charcoal dust, and for that mater any dust, isn't going to do you any good at all!
Stay safe.
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