Rick Monteverde on sun 8 apr 01
Gavin -
>I don't know if this material is for sale
>to US citizens, but if it is, it will certainly come with a heavy reporting
>and regulatory surcharge.
Yup, it's for sale - over the internet too. See Alfa Aesar's web=20
site. Here's the MSDS for DU turnings. Sounds like yucky stuff. I'm=20
posting the entire MSDS here because the URL was a cgi that wouldn't=20
fire from outside the site's own page, and because some of the=20
material is very interesting from the standpoint of dealing with some=20
of the toxic substances potters may find occasion to want to use.
1 Identification of substance:
* Product details:
* Trade name: Uranium turnings
* Stock number: 39692
* Manufacturer/Supplier:
Alfa Aesar, A Johnson Matthey Company
Johnson Matthey Catalog Company, Inc.
30 Bond Street
Ward Hill, MA 01835-8099
Emergency Phone: (978) 521-6300
CHEMTREC: (800) 424-9300
Web Site: www.alfa.com
* Information department: Health, Safety and Environmental Department
* Emergency information:
During normal hours the Health, Safety and Environmental Department.=20
After normal hours call Chemtrec at (800) 424-9300.
* 2 Composition/Data on components:
* Chemical characterization:
Description: (CAS#) =20
Uranium (CAS# 7440-61-1), 100%
* Identification number(s):
* EINECS Number: 231-170-6
* EU Number: 092-001-00-8
* 3 Hazards identification
* Hazard description:
T+ Very toxic
=46 Highly flammable
* Information pertaining to particular dangers for man and environment
R 17 Spontaneously flammable in air.
R 26/28 Very toxic by inhalation and if swallowed.
R 33 Danger of cumulative effects.
* 4 First aid measures
* General information
Immediately remove any clothing soiled by the product.
Remove breathing apparatus only after contaminated clothing has been=20
completely removed.
In case of irregular breathing or respiratory arrest provide=20
artificial respiration.
* After inhalation
Supply fresh air. If required, provide artificial respiration. Keep=20
patient warm.
Seek immediate medical advice.
* After skin contact
Immediately wash with water and soap and rinse thoroughly.
Seek immediate medical advice.
* After eye contact
Rinse opened eye for several minutes under running water. Then=20
consult a doctor.
* After swallowing
Do not induce vomiting; immediately call for medical help.
Seek immediate medical advice.
* 5 Fire fighting measures
* Suitable extinguishing agents
Special powder for metal fires. Do not use water.
* For safety reasons unsuitable extinguishing agents Water
* Special hazards caused by the material, its products of combustion or
resulting gases:
In case of fire, the following can be released:
Toxic metal oxide fume
* Protective equipment:
Wear self-contained respirator.
Wear fully protective impervious suit.
* 6 Accidental release measures
* Person-related safety precautions:
Wear protective equipment. Keep unprotected persons away.
Ensure adequate ventilation
Keep away from ignition sources
* Measures for environmental protection:
Do not allow material to be released to the environment without=20
proper governmental permits.
* Measures for cleaning/collecting:
Dispose contaminated material as waste according to item 13.
Ensure adequate ventilation.
Keep away from ignition sources.
* Additional information:
See Section 7 for information on safe handling
See Section 8 for information on personal protection equipment.
See Section 13 for disposal information.
* 7 Handling and storage
* Handling
* Information for safe handling:
Handle under dry protective gas.
Keep container tightly sealed.
Store in cool, dry place in tightly closed containers.
Ensure good ventilation at the workplace.
Open and handle container with care.
* Information about protection against explosions and fires:
Keep ignition sources away.
Substance/product is self ignitable.
* Storage
* Requirements to be met by storerooms and receptacles:
No special requirements.
* Information about storage in one common storage facility:
Store away from air.
Store away from halogens.
* Further information about storage conditions:
Store under dry inert gas.
Keep container tightly sealed.
Store in cool, dry conditions in well sealed containers.
Store under lock and key and with access restricted to technical=20
experts or their assistants only.
* 8 Exposure controls and personal protection
* Additional information about design of technical systems:
Properly operating chemical fume hood designed for hazardous=20
chemicals and having an average face velocity of at least 100 feet=20
per minute.
Components with limit values that require monitoring at the workplace:
Uranium (natural), soluble and insoluble compounds, as U
mg/m3
ACGIH TLV 0.2; 0.6-STEL, A1
Belgium TWA 0.2; 0.6-STEL
Denmark TWA 0.2
=46inland TWA 0.2
Germany 0.25-inhalable fraction of the aerosol
Ireland TWA 0.2; 0.6-STEL
Netherlands TWA 0.2
Poland TWA 0.075
Russia 0.075
Switzerland TWA 0.2
United Kingdom TWA 0.2; 0.6-STEL
* Additional information: No data
* Personal protective equipment
* General protective and hygienic measures
The usual precautionary measures for handling chemicals should be followed.
Keep away from foodstuffs, beverages and feed.
Remove all soiled and contaminated clothing immediately.
Wash hands before breaks and at the end of work.
Store protective clothing separately.
* Breathing equipment:
Use suitable respirator when high concentrations are present.
* Protection of hands: Impervious gloves
* Eye protection:
Safety glasses
=46ull face protection
* Body protection: Protective work clothing.
* 9 Physical and chemical properties:
* Form: Turnings
* Color: Silver grey
* Odor: Odorless
* Value/Range Unit Method =20
* Change in condition
* Melting point/Melting range: 1132 =B0 C
* Boiling point/Boiling range: 3818 =B0 C
* Sublimation temperature / start: Not determined
* Flash point: Not applicable
* Ignition temperature: Not determined
* Decomposition temperature: Not determined
* Auto igniting: Spontaneously flammable in air.
* Explosion limits:
* Lower: Not determined
* Upper: Not determined
* Vapor pressure: Not determined
* Density: at 20 =B0 C 19.07 g/cm3
* Solubility in / Miscibility with
* Water: Insoluble
* 10 Stability and reactivity
* Thermal decomposition / conditions to be avoided:
Decomposition will not occur if used and stored according to specifications.
* Materials to be avoided:
Air
Ammonia
Halogens
Interhalogens
Halocarbons
* Dangerous reactions Spontaneously flammable in air.
* Dangerous products of decomposition: Toxic metal oxide fume
* 11 Toxicological information
* Acute toxicity:
* Primary irritant effect:
* on the skin: Irritant to skin and mucous membranes.
* on the eye: Irritating effect.
* Sensitization: No sensitizing effects known.
* Subacute to chronic toxicity:
Uranium compounds may cause skin, eye or lung irritation. Cancers of=20
the liver, kidney, lymphatic and blood forming tissues are possible.=20
Necrotic arterial lesions are possible.
* Additional toxicological information:
To the best of our knowledge the acute and chronic toxicity of this=20
substance is not fully known.
ACGIH A4: Not classifiable as a human carcinogen: Inadequate data on=20
which to classify the agent in terms of it's carcinogenicity in=20
humans and/or animals.
* 12 Ecological information:
* General notes:
Do not allow material to be released to the environment without=20
proper governmental permits.
* 13 Disposal considerations
* Product:
* Recommendation
Consult state, local or national regulations for proper disposal.
Not a solid waste by RCRA exclusion, see 40CFR261.4.(a).(4).
See 10CFR part 40 for disposal.
* Uncleaned packagings:
* Recommendation:
Disposal must be made according to official regulations.
* 14 Transport information
* DOT regulations:
* Hazard class: 7
* Identification number: UN2979
* Proper shipping name (technical name):
Uranium-metal, pyrophoric
* Land transport ADR/RID (cross-border)
* ADR/RID class: 7 Radioactive material
* Danger code (Kemler): 74
* UN-Number: 2979
* Description of goods: Uranium-metal, pyrophoric
* Maritime transport IMDG:
* IMDG Class: 7
* UN Number: 2979
* Proper shipping name: Uranium-metal, pyrophoric
* Air transport ICAO-TI and IATA-DGR:
* ICAO/IATA Class: 7
* UN/ID Number: 2979
* Proper shipping name: Uranium-metal, pyrophoric
* 15 Regulations
* Product related hazard informations:
* Hazard symbols:
T+ Very toxic F Highly flammable
* Risk phrases:
17 Spontaneously flammable in air.
26/28 Very toxic by inhalation and if swallowed.
33 Danger of cumulative effects.
* Safety phrases:
9 Keep container in a well-ventilated place.
28 After contact with skin, wash immediately with plenty of ... .
36/37/39 Wear suitable protective clothing, gloves and eye/face protection.
45 In case of accident or if you feel unwell, seek medical=20
advice immediately.
* National regulations
All components of this product are listed in the U.S. Environmental=20
Protection Agency Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance=20
Inventory.
* Information about limitation of use:
=46or use only by technically qualified individuals.
The radioactive content of uranium and uranium containing material is=20
defined as it's specific activity. The specific activity of depleted=20
uranium is 0.0000005 curie/gram (18,500 Bq/gram) of contained=20
uranium. This formula assumes a weight percent of 0.45% U235.
* 16 Other information:
Employers should use this information only as a supplement to other=20
information gathered by them, and should make independent judgement=20
of suitability of this information to ensure proper use and protect=20
the health and safety of employees. This information is furnished=20
without warranty, and any use of the product not in conformance with=20
this Material Safety Data Sheet, or in combination with any other=20
product or process, is the responsibility of the user.
* Department issuing MSDS: Health, Safety and Environmental Department.
* Contact: Darrell R. Sanders
=20
--------------------------------------------------------------------
- Rick Monteverde
Honolulu, HI
Gavin Stairs on mon 9 apr 01
At 04:35 AM 4/9/01, Rick Monteverde wrote:
>Gavin -
> >I don't know if this material is for sale
> >to US citizens, but if it is, it will certainly come with a heavy reporting
> >and regulatory surcharge.
>Yup, it's for sale - over the internet too.
Thanks for that MSDS, Rick.
Uranium is used industrially to make things like radiation shields and
airplane counterweights. The form of this scrap is metallic shavings,
which is curious, as most uranium shavings spontaneously ignite when they
are cut. Very similar to magnesium machining, except magnesium chips fly
off in all directions, making graceful, smoking, brilliant arcs, whereas
uranium shavings basically go straight down. So a barrel of uranium
shavings can be expected to contain lots of uranium oxide dust as well as
the metal. To get appreciable metal content, this material might have been
machined under shielding gas or fluid. If it is metallic, it is a
significant dust and fire hazard. Not the sort of material you would want
to have lying around. You would have to burn it and mill it before using
it in glaze anyway.
"All components of this product are listed in the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory.
* Information about limitation of use: For use only by technically
qualified individuals.
The radioactive content of uranium and uranium containing material is
defined as it's specific activity. The specific activity of depleted
uranium is 0.0000005 curie/gram (18,500 Bq/gram) of contained uranium. This
formula assumes a weight percent of 0.45% U235."
They say their depleted uranium is 100% U, and 0.45% U235 by
assumption. That is, they do not guarantee an analysis. Note that it is a
listed toxic substance under government control, and is for use by
qualified personnel only. That probably means you need a licence to buy
and use.
Also of interest for safety is that these chips are small pieces of metal
which pack very loosely. This means that the self shielding which normally
limits the radiation from a solid block is not as effective. We measured
the flux from a large unit of manufactured DU which had been encapsulated
in ~0.5mm stainless steel (partly to attenuate alpha radiation, partly to
contain the DU oxide dust, partly as a fire precaution) and found that with
a wall of about 1.5m x 5m, we could accumulate a limit dose of radiation in
a relatively short time, like 20 shifts. These shavings in barrels would
radiate like our wall, but scaled down by geometry. So, a 1m x 0.5m barrel
might radiate so as to produce a limit dose standing next to it in a year
or so. A few meters away it would be hard to distinguish from
background. The storage yard, on the other hand, would be detectable for
several meters all around, from its gamma radiation.
The other thing is that if you were to thrust your unprotected hand into
these shavings, you would accumulate a significant dose of alpha radiation
very quickly. You would also risk particle contamination and contaminated
cuts.
I'd be interested to find out what would happen if you applied to buy some
of this stuff, but not interested enough to try it myself.
I'm sorry to all the sensible people I have been boring with all this
stuff. Enough. Not recommended for children and artists. Do not try this
at home. Etc.
Gavin
Gavin Stairs
Stairs Small Systems
1A - 921 College Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6H 1A1
phone: (416)530-0419 stairs@stairs.on.ca
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