megalomania
June 18th, 2003, 04:11 PM
Jumala
Frequent Poster
Posts: 200
From: Germany
Registered: OCT 2000
posted 05-28-2001 09:12 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Working with Nitroglycerine without wearing gloves. It sounds so unbelieveable that I had to read it twice.
PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Nitroglycerine is one of the organic poisons. Its action upon the human organism becomes evident in many individuals with even the smallest doses, and in such a case consists in migraine headaches enduring for hours, combined with a feeling of pressure in the front and back parts of the head. The severity of the effect varies. Those of a nervous temperament get a headache on merely entering rooms where nitroglycerine is being used and breathing the vapors, but if their stay there is for only a short time it rapidly disappears on getting out into the fresh air. The effect is much more severe if a small quantity only of nitroglycerine is absorbed by the unprotected skin and so gets into the blood current, as can occur very easily. The mucous membranes are most sensitive to this.
Alcohol raises the susceptibility to nitroglycerine. It also hinders acquiring an immunity to nitroglycerine, which with most persons occurs more or less rapidly when they are constantly exposed, and is of great importance for the work in most explosive plants.
After one or more days most workmen become immune to the effects of nitroglycerine when breathed or absorbed by the skin, and no longer suffer from headaches. A cessation of exposure to nitroglycerine, even if for only a few days, makes a new immunization necessary. Only a few persons never become accustomed to nitroglycerine and have to give up the work. Those who are immune can be seen to mix nitroglycerine by hand with kieselguhr or nitrocotton, or rub guhr dynamite by hand through a screen, or smear their lower arms up to the elbow with the thin nitroglycerine-gelatine, which is then scraped off by the fingers.
In general nothing is known regarding any harmful effect on the health, or any chronic effect of nitroglycerine upon such workmen in the dynamite plants.47
Preventatives of the violent headaches which small quantities of nitroglycerine cause are those medicines which are of general use in cases of headaches, such as antipyrine, phenacetin, migraine pyra-midon and aspirin. Black coffee is often recommended, but usually does not help. A walk in the fresh air brings relief if the effect is not too severe.
The workmen change their clothes before and after work, and also clean their faces, hands and finger nails well before eating, since penetration of nitroglycerine into the digestive canal is dangerous, more so than if it is only in contact with the skin.
If taken internally in considerable quantities nitroglycerine is a violent poison.
Schuchard48 describes the symptoms on himself as follows: A drop swallowed caused headache, vertigo and dullness. More violent effects caused by larger quantities accidentally put into the throat were loss of consciousness changing to cold chills.
Demolition
Frequent Poster
Posts: 158
From: Australia
Registered: FEB 2001
posted 05-29-2001 03:03 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In simple words for me,Don't Mess with Nitro.
Demolition
Nitro
Frequent Poster
Posts: 51
From:
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-29-2001 03:23 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An right word Demolition.
Anthony
Moderator
Posts: 2306
From: England
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-29-2001 08:15 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are there any long term affects of nitro exposure?
Also, what kind of dose (say skin contact) would give you cause to worry? (like your blood pressure is about to collapse).
ALENGOSVIG1
Moderator
Posts: 766
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: NOV 2000
posted 05-30-2001 06:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have personally naver found it to be much of a problem really. When i make dynamite, i just keep the exposure to a minimum and im usually fine. sometimes i get a headache, no big deal, just take some aspirin or advil or something. drink some tea also. it seems to work better than coffee.
------------------
technology is a wonderful servant, but a bitch of a master.
Explosives Archive
MacCleod
Frequent Poster
Posts: 217
From:
Registered: DEC 2000
posted 06-01-2001 02:17 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yea,the caffiene in the tea helps speed the painkiller to your brain.
Teck
Frequent Poster
Posts: 146
From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted 06-01-2001 02:45 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nitroglycerine opens up your arteries and what caffiene does is it narrows them back, so when a person has a hypothermia you never give them coffee or hot cocoa cus it constricts the arteries. Also I work with Zactex and Trimtex the whole day loading rounds and no matter if you wear latex gloves, you still get exposed to NG. I had splitting and throbing headaches for three days then it kinda went away and now I handle the sticks with bare hands and my handsa are allways wet with NG and I have no headaches.
Also a question about dynamite: whats the crystalls the form on the outside of the stick, it looks like salt and if you break the stick open everything is crystalized and the sawdust is by it self, it seem the NG dropped out of saw dust and is in crystal form. And the sticks we used couple of days ago are 9 years old. (we got them for 5 dollars a 50lb box)
Anthony
Moderator
Posts: 2306
From: England
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 06-01-2001 09:34 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure, but I think dynamite can go crystaline with age and is very sensitive.
EP
Frequent Poster
Posts: 108
From: USA
Registered: APR 2001
posted 06-01-2001 11:07 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a book I read (The Big Bang: A history of explosives) in the chapter about nitro, it said workers ofen smuggled out small amounts of it when they would be away from work for several days to keep using it and and prevent the pain of re-adjusting to the effects.
Frequent Poster
Posts: 200
From: Germany
Registered: OCT 2000
posted 05-28-2001 09:12 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Working with Nitroglycerine without wearing gloves. It sounds so unbelieveable that I had to read it twice.
PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Nitroglycerine is one of the organic poisons. Its action upon the human organism becomes evident in many individuals with even the smallest doses, and in such a case consists in migraine headaches enduring for hours, combined with a feeling of pressure in the front and back parts of the head. The severity of the effect varies. Those of a nervous temperament get a headache on merely entering rooms where nitroglycerine is being used and breathing the vapors, but if their stay there is for only a short time it rapidly disappears on getting out into the fresh air. The effect is much more severe if a small quantity only of nitroglycerine is absorbed by the unprotected skin and so gets into the blood current, as can occur very easily. The mucous membranes are most sensitive to this.
Alcohol raises the susceptibility to nitroglycerine. It also hinders acquiring an immunity to nitroglycerine, which with most persons occurs more or less rapidly when they are constantly exposed, and is of great importance for the work in most explosive plants.
After one or more days most workmen become immune to the effects of nitroglycerine when breathed or absorbed by the skin, and no longer suffer from headaches. A cessation of exposure to nitroglycerine, even if for only a few days, makes a new immunization necessary. Only a few persons never become accustomed to nitroglycerine and have to give up the work. Those who are immune can be seen to mix nitroglycerine by hand with kieselguhr or nitrocotton, or rub guhr dynamite by hand through a screen, or smear their lower arms up to the elbow with the thin nitroglycerine-gelatine, which is then scraped off by the fingers.
In general nothing is known regarding any harmful effect on the health, or any chronic effect of nitroglycerine upon such workmen in the dynamite plants.47
Preventatives of the violent headaches which small quantities of nitroglycerine cause are those medicines which are of general use in cases of headaches, such as antipyrine, phenacetin, migraine pyra-midon and aspirin. Black coffee is often recommended, but usually does not help. A walk in the fresh air brings relief if the effect is not too severe.
The workmen change their clothes before and after work, and also clean their faces, hands and finger nails well before eating, since penetration of nitroglycerine into the digestive canal is dangerous, more so than if it is only in contact with the skin.
If taken internally in considerable quantities nitroglycerine is a violent poison.
Schuchard48 describes the symptoms on himself as follows: A drop swallowed caused headache, vertigo and dullness. More violent effects caused by larger quantities accidentally put into the throat were loss of consciousness changing to cold chills.
Demolition
Frequent Poster
Posts: 158
From: Australia
Registered: FEB 2001
posted 05-29-2001 03:03 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In simple words for me,Don't Mess with Nitro.
Demolition
Nitro
Frequent Poster
Posts: 51
From:
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-29-2001 03:23 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An right word Demolition.
Anthony
Moderator
Posts: 2306
From: England
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-29-2001 08:15 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are there any long term affects of nitro exposure?
Also, what kind of dose (say skin contact) would give you cause to worry? (like your blood pressure is about to collapse).
ALENGOSVIG1
Moderator
Posts: 766
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: NOV 2000
posted 05-30-2001 06:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have personally naver found it to be much of a problem really. When i make dynamite, i just keep the exposure to a minimum and im usually fine. sometimes i get a headache, no big deal, just take some aspirin or advil or something. drink some tea also. it seems to work better than coffee.
------------------
technology is a wonderful servant, but a bitch of a master.
Explosives Archive
MacCleod
Frequent Poster
Posts: 217
From:
Registered: DEC 2000
posted 06-01-2001 02:17 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yea,the caffiene in the tea helps speed the painkiller to your brain.
Teck
Frequent Poster
Posts: 146
From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted 06-01-2001 02:45 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nitroglycerine opens up your arteries and what caffiene does is it narrows them back, so when a person has a hypothermia you never give them coffee or hot cocoa cus it constricts the arteries. Also I work with Zactex and Trimtex the whole day loading rounds and no matter if you wear latex gloves, you still get exposed to NG. I had splitting and throbing headaches for three days then it kinda went away and now I handle the sticks with bare hands and my handsa are allways wet with NG and I have no headaches.
Also a question about dynamite: whats the crystalls the form on the outside of the stick, it looks like salt and if you break the stick open everything is crystalized and the sawdust is by it self, it seem the NG dropped out of saw dust and is in crystal form. And the sticks we used couple of days ago are 9 years old. (we got them for 5 dollars a 50lb box)
Anthony
Moderator
Posts: 2306
From: England
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 06-01-2001 09:34 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure, but I think dynamite can go crystaline with age and is very sensitive.
EP
Frequent Poster
Posts: 108
From: USA
Registered: APR 2001
posted 06-01-2001 11:07 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a book I read (The Big Bang: A history of explosives) in the chapter about nitro, it said workers ofen smuggled out small amounts of it when they would be away from work for several days to keep using it and and prevent the pain of re-adjusting to the effects.