It's definitely toxic - Saab General Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News -
3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine) |
12/12 Make Amazon Pay Saabnet!
[General |
Members |
C900 |
9000 |
NG900 & OG93 |
93 |
95 |
NG95 |
99 |
Sonett |
Vintage Models |
Clubs |
Other Cars |
FAQs |
Gifts |
Member Photo Galleries |
Member Directory |
Classifieds |
Manuals |
*Buddy Registry |
*Mileage Registry |
Polls |
What's New |
Raffle |
Photo of the Month |
Sponsors]
[Main General Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
It's definitely toxic
Posted by NateinAA [Email] (more from NateinAA) on Thu, 2 Mar 2006 15:27:33
In Reply to: Airbags, a health risk to you?, SWEDECAR [Profile/Gallery]
, Thu, 2 Mar 2006 11:13:02
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
BUT it's also (relatively) stable and undergoes controlled, explosive decomposition (to harmless nitrogen gas) after sitting around for years... not many things can do that.
Biologists and chemists use azides as a preservative in buffers and other solutions. It acts as an oxidizing agent killing bacteria and allowing much longer shelf lives. Any oxidant like that can cause cell and DNA damage. This results in a long term exposure concern because extensive DNA damage can lead to cancer.
From my perspective as a chemist who's worked with it, my major concerns with sodium azide are #1 it's reactivity as an oxidizer #2 the potential for explosions. It's reactive enough that it won't sit around in landfills like lead from batteries, but the unspent azide should still be handled with some respect.
As far as disposal is concerned... I don't know. We use so little in our lab that it goes in with the regular chemical waste. On a larger scale I'd recommend the same precautions you use with other flamable or explosive materials (ie not mixing it with other things, not heating it and keeping sparks away).
Short version: Sodium azide is not a persistant environmental contmainant like PCBs or heavy metals, its reactivity is precisely why we use it in the first place. Treat azide with respect to be sure, but I don't think we need to worry about it making everyone sick.
-NateinAA
(Saab driver and chemist since 1994)
Posts in this Thread:
- Airbags, a health risk to you?, SWEDECAR , Thu, 2 Mar 2006 11:13:02
- Re: Airbags, a health risk >, ttcinpc , Fri, 3 Mar 2006 11:05:24
- It's definitely toxic, NateinAA, Thu, 2 Mar 2006 15:27:33 <-- Viewing This Message
- Quacks are a greater risk, Erik, Thu, 2 Mar 2006 13:16:11
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Post a Followup
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
StateOfNine.com
|
SaabClub.com
|
Jak Stoll Performance
|
M Car Covers
|
Ad Available
|
Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right.
Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY.
Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages.
This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see
problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes
type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the
Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are
not anonymous. Site Contact | Site Donations | Other Sites by SP -
Poverty2Prosperity.org | Run Club Menlo Park | ScreenBot
Site Members do not see red text instructions, bottom of the page anchor ads, or box ads.
Click here to see all
the Site Membership Benefits!