Cloner - 26-10-2006 at 12:33
When working with cyanides, I did everything as well as I could; smoking a cigarette at the work to detect HCN (never mind the fire hazard) and using
a hood. But still I get the red color and thirst due to working up a cyanide containing organic even if I never got a real high dose, it is a longer
term low exposure. The fume hood is simply not good enough to contain it all. It's not upscalable if things remain this way.
Now there are cyanide antidotes allright and I have an emergency capsule in a cyanide kit for acute poisoning. But this longer term effect, can it be
contained with using hydroxy-cobalamine before the work (it is a sort of vitamin and seems harmless enough)?
12AX7 - 26-10-2006 at 12:34
Can you get a bigger fan put in?
evil_lurker - 26-10-2006 at 19:42
Gas mask or preferably an air line respirator connected to a remote supply.
Elawr - 27-10-2006 at 00:31
Sodium thiosulfate is an antidote for cyanide, and some studies suggest an increase in the lethal dose of cyanide for animals pretreated with it. The
human dose is 10 to 20 grams for an adult with acute poisoning. No clear guideline for pre-exposure prophylaxis in humans, but at least sodium
thiosulfate is relatively nontoxic. Also you can test your urine afterwards with an Fe salt to see if you did pick up any cyanide. It would show up in
the urine as red SCN- complex with the iron. I believe I'd want to have a bit of thiosulfate on board myself if I was about to get into some cyanides.
One question though,... how does smokin on a cig help you detect HCN in the lab?
[Edited on 27-10-2006 by Elawr]
[Edited on 27-10-2006 by Elawr]
[Edited on 27-10-2006 by Elawr]
Cloner - 27-10-2006 at 09:26
you taste it before smelling due to smoking. In fact, when I smell it, the dose is enough to make me turn away for a bit before continuing. I think
some people don't smell it at all before it gets ugly. Its an advice from a book written in the 19th century, before there were nonsmoking area's.
Before there were any regulations against smoking in the lab too
Sodium thiosulfate is part of the cyanide kit. Its for 'after treatment' for poisoning after the 'immediate treatment' capsule is used. I can see why
it would be useful to take it before exposure, after all most cyanide poisonings are not as deliberate as mine
But using a gas mask seems to be the most practical thing to do... Why didn't I think of this the first time 
I'll look for an acid filter then...
evil_lurker - 27-10-2006 at 10:57
I think some of the Israeli military stuff is already rated for HCN and isn't too expensive.