Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Slight throat irritation after getting a whiff of Nitric Acid.

Luftwaffe - 4-12-2011 at 04:08

So I made a nitrating mixture in a closed system and maintained it at about 5C. Everything was going well until I dumped it in water and the heat of dissociation of nitric and sulfuric acid was enough to release some fumes. I unforetunately got a whiff or 2 of the nitric acid fumes and was enough to burn the throat a bit the first time it slighty effected my nose and the second time my throat. I doubt I breathed in much as it felt like breathing in strong vinegar. The effects only lasted a moment and I removed myself from exposure. 4 days later without any effects I got this slight irritation in the throat which comes and goes it's lasted for 3 days. I get no cough reflex or any other symptoms and if I do try to cough it's dry.

Is this normal? I expect it to be since it would have burned the the throat a bit, from what I know Nitric Acid is very soluable in water unlike NO2 and there would be very low NO2 content in the vapour since my garage(opened btw) is dimly lit at 5C. So there wouldnt be any damage in the lungs I dont think.

A good question would be at was ppm does nitric acid start to burn the nose/throat? I suspect quite low but if anyone knows or has an idea let me know. I took the liberty to read some posts on the forum about NO2 exposure and found a post from vulture where he had a very sore throat, I would assume NO2 content would need to be pretty high for noticeable symptoms because of it's low soluability and he ended up being fine with a much higher exposure than what I got. Would seeing a doctor be useful?

hissingnoise - 4-12-2011 at 05:40

Quote:
Would seeing a doctor be useful?

It would certainly be advisable, and you'd need to tell all . . .


cyanureeves - 4-12-2011 at 07:22

sulfuric does irritate my throat,even when i use it to unstop drains.this happens many many times when dealing with plumbing but nitric just gives me headaches and makes my nostrils feel tight. i truly believe that the red fumes are what caused my sight to really deteriorate in a span of just two years even though loss of vision is nowhere to be found as a symtom for nitric exposure.going to the doctor is always best of course but be ready to be humbled. i would start to relax if at three days i'd just feel a little rough in the throat but not my chest.

Luftwaffe - 4-12-2011 at 08:53

Then maybe I am alright and just need a few more days to recover. I had zero serious symptoms other than a very mild tingly sensation in my throat that developed 3-4 days after exposure. Again, anyone elses experiences and input would be appreciated.

Endimion17 - 4-12-2011 at 09:22

If it continues days after the exposure, a visit to the doctor is a good idea. In the meantime, don't drink hot beverages and food. Let that epithelium get back online.

dann2 - 4-12-2011 at 15:35

When I was young and had no sense (Some would say I still have none),
I ripped my balls on a barb wire fence,
Off to the doctor I had to go,
Balls and all I had to show!



If you must go to the doc. tell him you were trying to dissolve some metal in Nitric acid.

Dann2 (the poet)

entropy51 - 4-12-2011 at 15:39

Quote: Originally posted by Luftwaffe  
Is this normal? I expect it to be since it would have burned the the throat a bit, from what I know Nitric Acid is very soluable in water unlike NO2 and there would be very low NO2 content in the vapour since my garage(opened btw) is dimly lit at 5C. So there wouldnt be any damage in the lungs I dont think.
No, it's not normal. Normal would be building a fume hood before playing with nitrations.

zoombafu - 4-12-2011 at 16:03

I recommend building a fume hood, you can find plans on the internet pretty easily. If not put a fan next to your workspace and keep a window open.

I would defiantly go to a doctor if the irritation persists any longer, as long term damage may have happened

bbartlog - 4-12-2011 at 17:06

Quote:
defiantly go to a doctor


I don't like doctors either, but if you do go, I don't think a defiant attitude will get you much :D

My advice on doctors (which is certainly not mainstream): don't go unless you already know what you want the doctor to do for you. If you think that your doctor, via some gnostic doctorsense, somehow knows more about NO2 exposure and treatment than you can discover with an hour on the internet, you're deluded. How many cases of such exposure would he have seen? If he had by some happenstance learned specifically about such cases, why would he remember? If you feel like some intervention is required, figure out ahead of time what it would be likely to be, and what diagnostics would help you to make a decision. Then go.
In your case, I really don't see what you think a doctor would do. Confirm that you have some slight irritation? Give you an inhaler to alleviate it? Reassure you that you don't have pulmonary edema? It seems like a waste of time (and money depending on your healthcare system).

zoombafu - 4-12-2011 at 20:20

Quote: Originally posted by bbartlog  
Quote:
defiantly go to a doctor


I don't like doctors either, but if you do go, I don't think a defiant attitude will get you much :D



I may be great at math and science, but I'm horrible at grammar and spelling :P.

hissingnoise - 5-12-2011 at 04:13

Quote: Originally posted by dann2  
When I was young and had no sense (Some would say I still have none),
I ripped my balls on a barb wire fence,
Off to the doctor I had to go,
Balls and all I had to show!

Hmmm. Isn't there a couple more lines to that rhyme, dann2?
Something about a doctor who laughed and a missing shaft . . .

vulture - 5-12-2011 at 15:19

Quote:

NO2 exposure and found a post from vulture where he had a very sore throat, I would assume NO2 content would need to be pretty high for noticeable symptoms because of it's low soluability and he ended up being fine with a much higher exposure than what I got.


I don't remember exactly what I wrote, but your throat is nothing to worry about. Sore throat is acid damage and assuming you're in the Northern Hemisphere it's probably more susceptible to colds, bacteries and the like right now.

NO2 poisoning affects your lungs and will give you a heavy to drowning feeling in your chest (lungs) as well as a nasty headache and general nausea. THEN it's time to see a doctor.

Luftwaffe - 6-12-2011 at 05:25

Thanks for the reply vulture, and yes I do live in the great white north so it's pretty cold here. :D

I get pretty bad anxiety but I seem to be improving. Only thing that has concerned me is bronchiolitis obliterans but from 1 strong whiff I dont think it's possible to develop something like that. Nitric acid like I said is pretty soluable and affects your upper respiratory tract and not so much the lower like NO2 would but my anxiety has led me to read about many various lung problems that doesnt paticularily soothe the mind. O.O

Found a case study on nitric acids affects on the respiratory tract and they could only induce bronchiolitis obliterans from directly injecting 1% concentrations of nitric acid directly into the lungs(100,000ppm) 4 times with sets of 2 being 2 weeks apart. It burned my throat a bit but it wasnt like pouring acid down my windpipe. I got coughing symptoms 4 days after exposure which is uncharacteristic of bronchiolitis obliterans.

I might still go see the doctor for bronchitis or something that I could have gotten while my respiratory tissues were healing. Cyanureeves was right about being humbled, I have a much higher respect for the reactions I do and wont be doing them for a long time until I construct a fume hood. The stupidity of youth it seems is only changed by potentially life-changing events.

[Edited on 6-12-2011 by Luftwaffe]

Luftwaffe - 7-12-2011 at 10:32

So I went to the doctor and told them I breathed in a bunch of acidic HCL so she checked my lungs and my throat etc and told me I was completely fine. If I had chemical pneumonitis she would be able to tell almost immediately and especially after she listened to my lungs. She told me to just calm down and my slightly irritated throat was just a cold.

vulture - 7-12-2011 at 11:10

Anxiety is not going to help you, ever, period. Keeping your head cool and decisive action are. Imagine if your lungs had been burned to crisp, would anxiety have helped? No.

Also, check yourself for symptoms first, THEN read what the symptoms are. Ever went through the list of side effects for a drug? You know what happens.

[Edited on 7-12-2011 by vulture]

White Yeti - 11-12-2011 at 14:04

Quote: Originally posted by vulture  
Anxiety is not going to help you, ever, period. Keeping your head cool and decisive action are. Imagine if your lungs had been burned to crisp, would anxiety have helped? No.

Also, check yourself for symptoms first, THEN read what the symptoms are. Ever went through the list of side effects for a drug? You know what happens.

[Edited on 7-12-2011 by vulture]


We all know that anxiety does not help, but it's a natural response that -in some cases- cannot be held in check. I remember once when I was experimenting with dangerous gases, with all the safety precautions in place, and something went wrong. I got a mild panic attack because of what happened. Sometimes, anxiety is innate and you don't have much control over it. The complicated network of nerves we call our brain also has something to do with it, placebo, smelling things that are not there, seeing things that don't exist etc...

Also, it's interesting that the doctor said it was a cold. When you worry, your immune system takes a blow and in some cases you can be more prone to disease after a stressful accident.