>
>measures wrote:
>>>
>>>At 09:22 AM 1/15/00 -0700, measures wrote:
>>>
>>>>When Teflon burns it sublimates into phosgene gas. (CoCl2)
>>>>
>>>>cheers, Mauri
>>>>
>>>>- Rich...
>>>
>>>Sure does. Therefor one should never cut Teflon with an acetylene torch
>>>unless one wears mil-spec chemical warfare apparel.
>>>
>>At Raytheon, we had a lathe operator drop dead while turning down a piece
>>of Teflon.
>>
>
>
>Teflon contains only carbon and fluorine. It is highly stable and will
>not burn on its own. One of the decomposition products when it's heated
>to flame temperatures in (moist) air is hydrogen fluoride (HF) which is
>indeed highly toxic, but you have to keep the teflon exposed to an open
>flame and then inhale the smoke.
>
>The only way to drop dead from machining teflon is to make dust in the
>air, and draw it through the glowing tip of a cigarette. Even then, I
>doubt if it's an immediate death sentence for people with a healthy
>heart and lungs. On the other hand, someone who habitually smokes at the
>lathe may already have some history...
>
>Phosgene (COCl2) is something completely different, though about equally
>unpleasant. It can be made accidentally by drawing the vapour of
>chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents through a cigarette, or by exposing the
>vapour to electrical arcs or unfiltered UV radiation from a mercury arc
>lamp. (Ammonia + household bleach gives plain old chlorine, Cl2)
>
>Phosgene smells of acutely rotten apples. HF doesn't really smell, it's
>more a smarting pain in the nose and throat. You can smell both of them
>at very low levels, low enough to give a warning that something's wrong.
>Been there, done that, still here...
>
tnx for chemistry lesson, Ian. Does HF plus water equal hydroflouric
acid?
- Rich..., 805.386.3734, www.vcnet.com/measures.
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