Questions tagged [toxicity]
Questions on the harmful effects of various substances on the human body, or biological organisms in general.
185
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1answer
44 views
What are chemicals that will create a similar reaction to baking soda and vinegar for my book?
I'm writing a book based on a dream I had, but after some research I can't find too much on a specific reaction I want. The main character mixes a clear liquid and yellow powder which hisses and ...
4
votes
1answer
56 views
Why are zinc shot and mossy zinc not considered toxic but zinc granules are?
In our lab we have three forms of zinc. We were initially experimenting with these three forms to optimize our application. We have "zinc shot", "mossy zinc", and "zinc ...
-4
votes
1answer
54 views
Why are tri-organotin compounds so toxic? [closed]
Organotin compounds (organostannane chemistry) are compounds with the tin-carbon bond and some of them(specifically the tri-organo ones) are as toxic as cyanide. Why is this though as I don't really ...
2
votes
2answers
223 views
Why is osmium(VIII) oxide so toxic?
Osmium(VIII) oxide or osmium tetroxide is a volatile chemical compound with the formula of $\ce{OsO4}$. It is highly toxic for supposedly irritating mucous membranes, but I'm not too sure if it is ...
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0answers
92 views
Why are all of the group 16 hydrides/hydrogen chalcogenides except H2O toxic? [closed]
I mean ($\ce{H2O}$) is non-toxic and is needed everyday but all of the other group 16 hydrides (hydrogen sulfide ($\ce{H2S}$), hydrogen selenide ($\ce{H2Se}$), hydrogen telluride ($\ce{H2Te}$) and ...
0
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4answers
66 views
What toxic gases are emitted during the combustion of potassium ferrocyanide? [closed]
I have read that Hydrogen Cyanide is emitted if Potassium Ferricyanide is combusted, but would this be the same case for Potassium Ferrocyanide? I am preparing to perform some case hardening on steel ...
1
vote
0answers
39 views
Avoiding chemical reactions with carbonated alcoholic drinks
I'm making a cooling beverage dispenser for carbonated drinks. The keg remains room temperature and the beverage rises through a pipe that's coiled up inside a cooling unit filled with water or ...
14
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4answers
3k views
Is Fluorine more toxic than Chlorine?
Fluorine is more reactive than Chlorine. But does it mean that Fluorine can cause more damage to living tissues? If so, why wasn't Fluorine used in WW1 instead of Chlorine?
3
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2answers
90 views
Biological activity of the isotopes of the same element
I have a question regarding biological activity of different isotopes of the same elements, notably $\ce{^206Pb}$ and $\ce{^208Pb}$. Lead is known to be toxic, such that it can replace calcium from ...
0
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1answer
54 views
What compound(s) contribute to bleach's smell and are they dangerous?
Just a few hours ago, I had to deal with a mold problem on some untreated wood and was told by a hardware store worker that bleach was an effective way to deal with the problem, following up with some ...
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63 views
Accidentally sprayed the wrong product in my mouth [closed]
I sprayed the wrong product in my mouth the other day. It was a spray hand cleaner. Noticed the mistake right away and immediately spit it out and then rinsed my mouth. But even so, my tongue and ...
2
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0answers
20 views
Chemical safety information: Where to look to find out how poisonous poisons are?
Could someone point me toward a primer on how to read the toxicity warnings on standard chemical data sheets? Or alternatively, where one should look for more precise information than is contained on ...
5
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1answer
66 views
How are the toxic components in a mixture identified?
I was doing research on buckwheat sprouts (as to whether I should include them in my diet) and I came across a website that said eating too much can cause fagopyrism, which is caused by compounds ...
1
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0answers
22 views
How do I understand exactly how hazardous a material is based on SDS?
I work with a lab occasionally and get asked often if a chemical is safe to breathe, how hazardous is it if it lands on skin, etc. For the most part, I'll try to go to an SDS and look it up. The ...
2
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0answers
24 views
How do structural differences between neostigmine and TL-599 contribute to differences in toxicity?
Stevens and Beutel studied the activity of several carbamate anticholinesterases. Among other things, they found that the (4-trimethylammonio)phenyl dimethylcarbamate iodide (The para-analog of ...
5
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0answers
41 views
Why are S-thiocarbamates less toxic than carbamates?
According to Haley and Rhodes, neostigmine bromide (alternatively known as Prostigmine) has an LD50 in mice of around 0.165 mg/kg by IV injection. Pubchem claims that this is also the LD50 for ...
0
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1answer
34 views
How does lead toxicity from jewelry happen vs. occupational exposure?
It is known that lead levels in jewelry is a problem, especially for children (https://dtsc.ca.gov/toxics-in-products/lead-in-jewelry/). As a parent with jewelry-loving children I am aware that ...
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3answers
73 views
Does aluminium foil, warmed up by sunlight, harm human health? [closed]
I must lightproof and block sunlight in new bedroom. I can't afford blinds or window coverings. I don't use garbage bags, because a plastic bag baking in the sun may emit harmful chemicals (see Home ...
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0answers
163 views
Is it OK to dispose of potassium hydrogen phthalate into the sewer system?
I have been using potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) for creating primary standards. I have looked into the Flinn catalog, and the disposal consideration is classified as "organic acids, must be ...
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1answer
41 views
Could there ever be a way to safely handle visible amounts of elements like astatine, francium, or protactinium? [closed]
This is something I'd actually be interested in doing if possible. I've asked about artificial stability here https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/584595/could-there-at-least-theoretically-ever-...
0
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2answers
68 views
Do hydrogen sulfide and oxygen produce pure sulfur or sulfur dioxide? If both, under which circumstances does each scenario occur? [closed]
If both of the following hydrogen sulfide and oxygen chemical equations can occur, under what circumstances is the harmless pure sulfur and the toxic sulfur dioxide produced?
$\ce{2H2S + O2 -> 2H2O ...
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1answer
76 views
Is elemental lead as toxic as lead compounds? [duplicate]
On the internet, nobody mentions about lead's oxidation state when talking about lead poisoning. I assume it's Pb(II) and Pb(IV), as chelation therapy is suggested as a treatment. Also, its ...
0
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1answer
129 views
Using the right equipment for successful detection of Novichok [closed]
Apparently, Navalny’s biomaterials were flown to Moscow's Nii Sklif lab which didn't find any traces of the poison. But they used an American Agilent Technologies GC-MS [1], while Bundeswehr ...
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0answers
34 views
A dataset of drugs or molecules that failed the FDA approval process
I am looking for a dataset of bad drugs, the opposite of FDA approved drugs.
There is this database of withdrawn drugs, but these drugs were withdrawn after making it into the market.
Is there any ...
5
votes
2answers
975 views
What chemical properties of ethanol make it usable for drinks as compared to that of methanol? [closed]
Methanol ($\ce{CH3OH}$) and ethanol ($\ce{C2H5OH}$) both are the organic compounds having an alcoholic group. The alcoholic beverages (liquors and spirits) for human consumption (albeit injurious to ...
21
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3answers
4k views
How toxic chemically is plutonium (Pu), neglecting the radioactive damage?
In Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb, he says that, while Pu is not that radioactive (which is surprising -- maybe he means compared with radium and some other elements), it is very toxic.
I would ...
3
votes
2answers
99 views
What is the mechanism of AChE inhibition by Onchidal?
A naturally-occuring neurotoxin, called Onchidal, produced by a species of sea slug acts as an irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase. The structure of Onchidal is presented below:
How and ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
Why is methyl parathion less toxic than ethyl parathion?
According to the PubChem pages on ethyl parathion and methyl parathion (pages 11 and 12 of the toxicity section, respectively), methyl parathion is significantly less toxic than ethyl parathion. The ...
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0answers
412 views
Will a dangerous amount of lead leach into soil from a galvanised corrugated steel raised bed? [closed]
I have searched, found similar questions but none answer my specific need.
I have built a raised garden bed to grow vegetables (ironically due to a high lead content in our garden soil - planning to ...
2
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0answers
36 views
Why are carbamates capable of inhibiting acetylcholinesterase?
Certain carbamate compounds, such as the insecticide carbaryl or the Edgewood carbamates such as EA-3990, can inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Unlike organophosphorus compounds, however, they ...
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2answers
1k views
Fumes by Melting Aluminium Soda Cans [closed]
I am planning to melt and cast aluminium from soda cans. I went to quora page that deals with "burning" aluminium can, which can release toxic gases as the cans are coated with plastic inner lining. ...
2
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1answer
57 views
Treating styrene in the atmosphere
I was actually inspired to ask this question in certain circumstances. In the outskirts of my city, there happened to be a styrene gas leak early morning today which killed thirteen and hospitalized ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
Non-toxic organic bases? [closed]
I am trying to find out if there are any non-toxic organic bases that could be given orally on a non-empty stomach to treat acidosis. From my research, histidine and diluted choline hydroxide were the ...
0
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2answers
73 views
How can I remove the bitartrate anion from an organic bitartrate salt?
I have a compound, dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) bitartrate, which I originally purchased as a supplement and possible smart drug. I bought an absurd amount of it. It didn’t do anything for me as a ...
0
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1answer
79 views
Cadmium Selenide, Cadmium Sulfide, Cinnabar and Lead Oxide toxicity
I have a question about the toxicity of the pigments Cadmium Selenide (Cadmium Red), Cadmium Sulfide (Cadmium Yellow), Mercury Sulfide (Cinnabar or Vermillion) and Lead Oxide (Lead White).
Not long ...
2
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0answers
52 views
Do any pharmaceuticals increase in potency or toxicity over time?
Pursuing a question raised in these comments:
Are there any known pharmaceuticals that increase in potency or toxicity during storage, or over periods of months to years?
If not, what if we broaden ...
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votes
1answer
32 views
Does toxicity depend on state of matter? [closed]
Does the toxicity of an element depend on the state of matter (liquid, solid, gas)?
Could there be an element, which is totally non-toxic when it is solid, but toxic when it is liquid. Which elements ...
1
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0answers
42 views
How is mercury in drinking water detected? [closed]
A document I've been reading states that:
Both the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal and the Maximum Contaminant Level were set at 2 parts per billion because current technology allows public water ...
1
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0answers
38 views
Risks of using organic mercury compounds in analytical chemistry
I'm interested in speciation analysis. Hearing of fatal accidents with organic mercury compounds made me wonder about the risks for the analytical chemist trying to determine Hg species in foodstuff. ...
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votes
2answers
85 views
Does water in big cities get heated (boiled) for treatment?
I live in Bangkok and read how water comes to customers here:
I understand from the chart that water go through Thon Buri treatment plant (west Bangkok) and Mahasawat treatment plant (east Bangkok) ...
4
votes
1answer
232 views
Indigo and the Environment: is it that bad?
TL;DR: In what aspects are the products of the indigo vat dyeing process (sodium sulphate, sulphite and thiosulphate ions) harmful to the environment or to living beings?
I was recently looking into ...
5
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2answers
410 views
How does one tell (or conclude) if a substance is carcinogenic?
It's common to read statements like:
Tetrachloroethene ($\ce{CCl2=CCl2}$) was earlier used as a solvent for dry cleaning, but since it contaminated ground water and is a suspected carcinogen, ...
17
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2answers
6k views
Why is potassium ferrocyanide considered safe for consumption, when it is just one reaction away from the highly toxic potassium cyanide?
According to this answer, heating potassium ferrocyanide will decompose it into potassium cyanide.
Now, potassium ferrocyanide is an approved anti-caking agent, and hence used in table salt, for ...
1
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1answer
44 views
If heavy metals bind to sulfur why isn't sulfur used as a safer way to chelate them? [closed]
I was wondering about sulfur as an alternative life-threatening chelators. Why isn't sulfur used as a chelator if heavy metals have an affinity for it?
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0answers
39 views
Water replacement for pressure-testing [closed]
Due to circumstance, our Data Centre build has some delays and it currently looks like we're going to have to perform a hydrostatic test of our sprinkler system with live computers in it.
As I have ...
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1answer
122 views
Cup with vinegar/salt/copper solution previously in it ran through dishwasher
Someone enjoys making jewelry, and saw an online tutorial saying that you can mix equal parts of vinegar and salt, and leave copper in it for a while to oxidize it, and turn it green.
After doing ...
12
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3answers
5k views
Chilling water in copper vessel
Does chilling drinking water in copper bottle result in any chemical reaction that turns it dangerous for consumption in any way?
Few days back, in summer, I carried kokum juice in copper bottle. I ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
How to determine toxicity of a substance? [closed]
I often read description of various compounds or elements as being poisonous. Now I know that through experience we have discovered the toxicity of various substances like lead, chlorine or phosgene ...
6
votes
1answer
9k views
Does melting HDPE plastic produce toxic fumes? (melting, not burning)
● The question isn't about burning HDPE but melting it at the proper temperature. (At 120 to 180°C depending on it's density, it becomes gooey. According to the source below the "extrusion" ...
8
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3answers
1k views
Are risks (hexavalent chromium) during Chrome plating temporary, or remain with the product?
Since some chrome plating production processes generate hexavalent_chromium compounds, which are reportedly highly toxic/carcinogenic, I wonder:
Do the hexavalent chromium substances only occur (...
