Halogenated Organic Compounds Used as Flame Retardants

Protecting the environment from toxic contaminants such as pesticide, herbicide, and other Solvents are vital to the survival of the inhabitants of the respective environment. This is important because such contaminants, when released into the environment can create devastating health problems such as cancer in humans. This paper will evaluate three of the many carcinogenic chemicals that have the propensity to cause cancer and other health problems. Therefore, the paper will evaluate Agent Orange, DDT, and Benzene.

 The past twenty years increasing concerns over the side effects from flame retardant chemicals (FRC) have been brought to the attention of the public stimulating research and laboratory testing for potential dangers previously not associated with flame retardant chemicals. The current proposal LD182 follows other Maine laws establishing bans on specific flame retardants which include: LD 1568 which prevents the

There are two main types of toxicity, acute and chronic. Acute toxicity refers to a relatively high dose of a toxin given over a short period of time. Chronic toxicity is a relatively low dose of a toxin given over a longer time period. Acute toxicity is measured by the Lethal Dose 50 (LD50). LD50 is the dose of a specific substance that kills 50% of test organisms, and it varies from substance to substance.

TCDD is a dioxin that can be produced through diesel exhaust, burning waste, and chemical manufacturing. In recent years, many have argued that exposure to this chemical can cause serious illnesses. Studies on animals have shown that TCDD is one of the most poisonous chemicals out there. The animal testing has been found to be especially toxic to developing babies in the womb. A pregnant rat given a dose of less than one part per billion (which is comparable to a single drop in 14,000 gallons of water) will cause female sexual characteristics in a male embryo. Doses of 100 parts per billion in rodents and fish have been proven to cause birth defects such as cleft palates, malfunctioning kidneys, heart problems, and weak bones (Schmidt). Animal studies have proven that small doses of TCDD can be severely detrimental to one’s

There are several hundred of these compounds, but not all occur in any one sample. Chemicals that occur in TPH include hexane, benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene, and fluorine, etc. The compounds in different TPH fractions affect the body in different ways. Some of the TPH compounds, particularly the smaller compounds such as benzene, toluene, and xylene (which are present in gasoline), can affect the human central nervous system. If exposures are high enough, death can occur. Breathing toluene at concentrations greater than 100 ppm for more than several hours can cause fatigue, headache, nausea, and drowsiness. When exposure is stopped, the symptoms will go away. However, if someone is exposed for a long time, permanent damage to the central nervous system can occur. One TPH compound (n-hexane) can affect the central nervous system in a different way, causing a nerve disorder called "peripheral neuropathy" characterized by numbness in the feet and legs and, in severe cases, paralysis. Swallowing some petroleum products such as gasoline and kerosene causes irritation of the throat and stomach, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia from breathing liquid into the lungs. The compounds in some TPH fractions can also affect the blood, immune system, liver, spleen, kidneys, developing fetus, and lungs. Certain TPH compounds can be irritating to the skin

This paper briefly touches on a case study by a nursing assistant student who is assisting with an anesthesiologist that she is shadowing. The student was asked to monitor vitals during a knee surgery. The patient was given Halothane and the surgery began. After two hours in surgery, the patient, who was a young athletic female named Sharon Riley, began to show signs of distress. This patient’s temperature elevated to 105 °F and pulse began to rise up to 120 bpm, and her blood pressure began to drop down to 60/56 mmHg. This triggers the monitors alarm because normal vitals for this patient were a temperature of 98.6 °F, 75 bpm pulse and blood pressure of 105/60 mmHg. This causes the doctors to react quickly and begin to assess what is wrong

-Mercury is a persistent substance which means a number of mercury increases in concentration as you go the in the food chain, so the higher up the chain and the higher amount of mercury. This tendency is called biomagnification. For instance, plankton contains 0.00001 ppm of mercury and if you go up 5 levels to the top of the pyramid which is a shark, it contains 1 ppm of mercury. This may pose a potential health threat to those animals and humans who consume the fishes or shark.

LD50 refers to the dose level (concentration level) of a toxic substance (poison) required to obtain a lethal dose that kills 50% of a population under stated conditions, such as the controlled variables of the study. This level is typically normalized to the weight of the animal (milligram chemical/kilogram body weight), and the measure of acute toxicity is used to assign of toxicity to the given chemical (Hodgson, 2010).

The toxicity of the product is extremely low. The Lowest Observable Adverse Effects Level (LOAEL) of agent FE-36 is 15 percent. The competing product Halotron I has a LOAEL level of two percent, whereas another similar product, Halon 1211, rates at a toxicity level of one percent. When you consider that a higher percentage means the product is less toxic, fire protection equipment using CleanGuard’s FE-36 agent is safer to use than other compounds. The agent is low in toxins because it is composed of the gasses people breathe - carbon dioxide, nitrogen and

Just east of Butte, Montana is a huge lake filled with toxic chemicals. Samples taken in 2011 had a pH measuring around 2.5, meaning the water was comparable to gastric acid (PitWatch, 2013). This lake, known as the Berkeley Pit Lake, was formed by open pit mining in the 1950s. Originally, the mine was built by the Atlantic-Richfield Corporation to meet the global demands for copper post World War II. Copper prices tanked in 1982, so the mine was shut down and pumps removing water were deactivated. The company left behind a pit encompassing an area of approximately one square mile and reaching a depth of 1780 feet. Berkeley Pit soon flooded and began to collect hazardous levels of heavy metals.

Chemical terrorism presents a unique threat to the Homeland and response agencies due to the vast array of various chemical effects and availability. To illustrate this threat, an examination will be conducted into the historical development and a recent use of chlorine gas agent. Then, an investigation into chlorine’s chemical properties, its harmful effects, and required response protective/detection equipment will be conducted. Lastly, an analysis into the regulatory policy of chlorine and a current news article reference the use of chlorine will be conducted. Overall, by understanding the chemical properties and risks associated with chlorine gas, response agencies can be better equipped to respond and protect the public. First, let’s examine

They can be found in/are paint thinners, fingernail polish remover, degreasers, dry-cleaning fluids, gasoline, contact cement, hairspray, spray paint, deodorant spray, vegetable oil sprays, and fabric protector spray, Butane lighters, propane tanks, whipped cream dispensers, refrigerant gases, and anesthetics.

Page 2, Section 1.2; Page 4, Section 2 and elsewhere. In the sixth paragraph the text states “Cancer risks predicted for total PCBs and TEQs under USEPA RME assumptions fall within the 10-6 to 10-4 range (i.e., 9 x 10-5 and 1 x 10-4, respectively).” This cancer risk evaluation is inconsistent with United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidance (USEPA. 1996. PCBs: Cancer Dose-Response Assessment and Application to Environmental Mixtures. EPA/600/P-96/001F. September) which specifies that high risk total PCB cancer risk must be added to the PCB congener 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin toxic equivalency cancer risk. Consequently the total cancer risk is 0.9 x 10-4 + 1 x 10-4 or 2 x 10-4, which exceeds the USEPA acceptable risk range. In addition, the second remedial action objective (RAO) on page 4 regarding cancer risks must be addressed because total cancer risks exceed the acceptable USEPA risk range. It is possible that the documented proposed remedial action will reduce cancer risks to acceptable levels, but this must be demonstrated, and cancer risks considered for derivation of the

A fire retardant is designed to resist burning and withstand heat, fire-retardant materials are designed to burn slowly. An example of a fire-resistant material is used by firefighters to protect them from the flames of a burning building. Flame retardants are added into foams in mattresses, sofas, car upholstery and many other foams. When incorporated into the foam, chemicals can leak out of the products over time. This is releasing toxic gasses into the air. A synthetic coating of polydopamine taken from the natural compound dopamine can be used as a highly effective water-applied flame retardant for polyurethane foam. Dopamine is a chemical compound found in humans and animals that helps transmit signals in the brain and other areas. Dopamine-based

Arson Detection : The Discovery of Flammable Liquids . In this practice , we analyzed flammable liquids by the method of gas chromatograph . First of all , we tried to find the retention time of standard flammable liquids to be able to identify our unknown sample comparing with their retention times . The standards samples were : charcoal lighter , gasoline , kerosene , light fluid , shellac thinner , and paint thinner . The retention time is calculated by the formula : We injected 5 (1)�L of paint thinner using the syringe needle into the gas chromatograph and we used the speed of 1cm/min to test which volume could be used . However , the pick was too high and we changed the volume (2)to 1 �L , which was better . With the parameters defined