Explosives toxicology

Explosives—Toxicology. 2. Explosives—Environmental aspects. I. Sunahara, Geoffrey I. (Geoffrey Isao), 1953- II. Title. 

Process safety involves many of the topics that we have covered in this book—flammability, explosions, toxicology, reactive chemicals, and mnaway reactions " (see Section 5.3.10 on mnaway reactions). It also involves many of the basic concepts in chemistry including kinetics and thermodynamics. 

Health and Safety Factors, Toxicology. Because low molecular weight phosphines generally are spontaneously flammable, they must be stored and handled in an inert atmosphere. The upper explosion limit is 1.6% and the upper limit is near 100% (93). The higher and less volatile homologues are more slowly oxidized by air and present less of a problem. 

Physicochemical properties requked include melting/boiling point, vapor pressure, solubiUty, and flammabiUty/explosion characteristics. The toxicological studies include acute toxicity tests, oral, inhalation, and dermal skin and eye kritation skin sensiti2ation subacute toxicity, oral, inhalation, and dermal and mutagenicity tests. In vitro reverse mutation assay (Ames test) on Salmonella typhimurium and/or E.scherichia coli and mammalian cytogenic test. In vivo mouse micronucleus test. 

Toxicology. The toxicity of ethyl ether is low and its greatest hazards in industry are fire and explosion. The vapor is absorbed almost instandy from the lungs and very prompdy from the intestinal tract. It undergoes no chemical change in the body. Prevention and control of health hazards associated with the handling of ethyl ether depend primarily on prevention of exposure to toxic atmospheric concentrations and scmpulous precautions to prevent explosion and fire. 

Typical events that are considered are fire, explosion, ship collision, and the failure of pressurized storage vessels for which historical data established the failure frequencies. Assessment of consequences was based partly on conservative treatment of past experience. For example ilic assessment of the number of casualties from the release of a toxic material was based on past histoiy conditioned by knowledge of the toxicology and the prevailing weather conditions. An altemati. e used fault trees to estimate probabilities and identify the consequences. Credit is taken in this process for preventative measures in design, operation, and maintenance procedures. Historical data provide reliability expected from plant components and humans. 

A mechanism of action describes the molecular sequence of events (covalent or non-covalent) that lead to the manifestation of a response. The complete elucidation of the reactions and interactions among and between chemicals, include very complex and varied situations including biological systems (macromolecular receptors, physical phenomena (thermodynamics of explosions) or global systems (ozone depletion). Unfortunately, this level of mechanistic detail is often unavailable but recent advances in molecular toxicology and others hazards, at the molecular level, have provided valuable information that elucidates key steps in a mechanism or mode of action. ... 

In addition to the toxicological risk, high concentrations of metal carbonyls pose a significant fire/explosion hazard that may prevent safe entry even wearing the appropriate chemical protective apparel. 

The 2003 ACGIH threshold limit value-time-weighted average for -butane is 800 ppm (1900 mg/m ), which was established because of explosivity hazards rather than toxicological... 

Toxicology. Hafnium dust is very low in toxicity. No health hazards have been recognized from the industrial handling of hafnium powder other than those arising from fire or explosion. ... 

Toxicology. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is practically nontoxic below the explosive limits but may cause asphyxia by oxygen displacement at extremely high concentrations. ... 

Explosives have an abundance of toxicological hazards, the extent of which is being increasingly identified. Due to their chemical structure, most explosives are toxic to some extent. Since the effect of toxicity may vary from a mild headache to serious damage of internal organs, toxicity in military explosives should be contained to a minimum level. Any explosive of high toxicity is unacceptable for military use. 

Regulation alters this calculation by altering the payoffs to different classes of research. Although other examples surely can be cited, the one that comes immediately to mind is the explosive growth of industrial interest in the once obscure field of toxicology. 

Sulfur in Inorganic Chemistry , Vol 2, Dekker, NY (1972), 145 ( The Pharmacology and Toxicology of Inorganic Sulfur Compounds by B. Soibo) 30) G.V. Kuznetsov et al, Reasons for the Spontaneous Explosions of Charges of Ammonium Nitrate Explosives in Sulfide Ores , GornZh(Russ) 147, 71—74... 

TNT is considered moderately toxic overall (Ref 1) and highly toxic when inhaled or ingested (Ref 2). The toxicity of TNT is discussed more fully in this Vol under Toxicology of Explosives and Propellants ... 

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