7 ppm of atomized H2SO4 will definitely sting a bit. That's roughly 7 g/m^3, TLV for sulfuric acid mist is 1 mg/m^3. Survivable but you would want to minimize time in it.
"the "spray bottle" tells us that the agent was targeting respiratory system, not dermal. "
I'm not sure this follows. If the cloth was impregnated with one of the binary components and the other was sprayed on the cloth, then VX would be synthesized right there in contact with the skin. I don't know that you could be sure a lethal dose would be inhaled in one or two seconds.
> At first I was concerned that there would be so much humidity inside of the capsule from the condensation caused by the temperature difference between the outside and the inside, but I see they've addressed that by replacing the atmosphere with Nitrogen.
Whatever reason they have for using nitrogen (making the thing fireproof is one reason), avoiding condensation isn't it. You could do that just by using dry air and packing a little silica gel. It's not like you're going to introduce more moisture over time into a sealed system.
Yeah - talk with a couple scientists after a liquid nitrogen experiments demonstration. They mentioned even just liquid air is dangerous, as the liquid oxygen in it makes many hydrocarbon materials flamable and even explosive in some cases.
Perhaps, though I once broke a 1L bottle of ammonium hydroxide (a strong solution of ammonia) in the lab. We literally couldn’t go in the room for 15 min. That was just 1L of not 100% ammonia, and we had a door where we could get out. Even if the ammonia isn’t flammable, you might kill occupants of a car with what is effectively a poison gas.
I mean that’d be near instant vaporization wouldn’t it? For some reason that makes me less scared about it since you wouldn’t really know what’s happening before it’s all over
Yes. It's called "tree". Works rather well. The only problem is that it produce a very poluting di-oxygen compound and also some very dangerous dihydrogen monoxide compound.
Signal: Warning
GHS Hazard Statements
H335: May cause respiratory irritation [Warning Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure; Respiratory tract irritation - Category 3]
Precautionary Statements
P261: Avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapors/spray.
P271: Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
P304+P340: IF INHALED: Remove person to fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing.
P312: Call a POISON CENTER or doctor/... if you feel unwell.
P403+P233: Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep container tightly closed.
P405: Store locked up.
P501: Dispose of contents/container to ...
Behavior in Fire: Increases intensity of any fire. Mixtures of liquid oxygen and any fuel are highly explosive. (USCG, 1999)
Excerpt from ERG Guide 121 [Gases - Inert]: Non-flammable gases. Containers may explode when heated. Ruptured cylinders may rocket. (ERG, 2016)
Cough; dizziness; sore throat; visual disturbances at very high concentrations. At 100% oxygen for more than 24 hours: symptoms above plus weakness, fatigue, pain in joints and muscles, numbness and tingling in arms and legs, palpitations, headache, nasal congestion, ear disturbances, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fever and swelling of mucous membranes. On contact with liquid: freezing burns.
The instant cold packs commonly found in first-aid kits use a closely related chemical: ammonium nitrate. While technically a high explosive, it is effectively useless as such in the hands of the average person.
Hydrazine is so handy as a rocket fuel. It's room temp, stable, hypergolic, plenty of energy, it can even be a monopropellant. But it's also corrosive, extremely toxic (even in the low-ppm range) and also carcinogenic. It's easily absorbed as a vapor and through the skin, and it'll kill you before you can smell it. There's good reason to not use the stuff in large quantities or in systems that are likely to be handled by humans for more than tanking it up.
And nitrogen tetroxide ain't no picnic either. It's happy to fume, and those fumes will corrode your lungs and you won't know it. Then several hours or even days later, you're dead of pulmonary edema.
Super interesting. I just outfitted my bedroom workshop with minimal first aid stuff (a wall mounted box with bandages and stuff as well as wall mounted eyewash bottles and a fire extinguisher)
I have been looking at respirators; I didn't get one 'cause my workshop isn't a chemistry lab, but I did look at them, and apparently one option is a bottle of compressed air with a valve so you can breath the compressed air.
The idea, of course, is that no matter how toxic whatever you released into the air was, if you were breathing this compressed air thing it wouldn't get into your lungs.
But... aside from avoiding the halon, I hadn't thought of it as something you would want in a fire and not just in a toxic gas situation, but from your description, it sounds like it'd really help you get out of the building.
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