Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Unusual Chemical Symptoms???

Unusual Chemical Symptoms???

mericad193724 - 16-7-2006 at 17:04

I live in the NJ, USA. Here it is summer with temperatures in the 90s. I played around with some chemicals last week and have developed these symptoms ---> Sore Throat, Cough, Runny/Stuffy Nose, and Weakness ----> basically the COMMON COLD....the only thing is its the MIDDLE OF SUMMER!!!! Is it possible that I somehow got irritated from chemicals. The past week I have used...HCl, Acetic Acid, Ferric Chloride, MnO2, MnCl2, KNO3, Iron Hydroxide, Iron Acetate, and very tiny bit of Chlorine gas given off by MnCl2 synthesis.

Could the Common cold like symptoms be from chemicals???

Mericad

12AX7 - 16-7-2006 at 17:17

I'm sure you'll find that in any MSDS. But I don't know why it would be unbelievable to get sick in summer. Unusual yes, but not impossible...

The more pertinent question is, have you used your chemicals safely?

If you haven't made contact with any of the chemicals, the only possibility is chlorine based vapor from the HCl, FeCl3 and chlorine gas of course. Those don't usually do much to you, it's pretty strong so you choke on it and get out before it hurts you too much.

Tim

mericad193724 - 16-7-2006 at 17:57

Ill check out the MSDS. I did all the experiments outside in my driveway because there is always some air movement. Chlorine was given off by 5g MnO2 and a lot of HCl, so little, I smelt nothing at all.

I made no physical contact with anything. It is possible that I could have inhaled some fine particles from the powders (MnO2, MnCl2 and KNO3).

That would explain sore throat and coughing. Is a stuffy nose a bodily response to something irritating like that. I have been "sick" for 2 days.

Mericad

Darkblade48 - 16-7-2006 at 18:45

I don't see why getting sick in the summer is unbelievable, when I was young, I often got sick once during the summer (between May - June) and another time during the winter (November - December).

woelen - 16-7-2006 at 23:24

The chems you were playing with are not really toxic. Even if you inhaled some of fine particles, I don't believe that you could get sick of them.

In summer, people can get sick of all kinds of stuff from grasses, flowers (hay-flu). I think this is more likely than that you became sick of these chemicals.

I also would not be concerned about possible chlorine inhalation. If you did not even smell any chlorine, then you did not inhale any appreciable amount. If you go to a swimming pool, you also get chlorine.

YT2095 - 17-7-2006 at 04:35

you`re Just as likely to catch a cold/flu in the summer as any other time, with the exception of a Harsh winter and then you`re less likely.

as for the chems, other than Chlorine gas or possibly Nitrosyl chloride (the effects you`de notice right away), there`s Nothing that will really harm you (unless you ate it, and again, you`de know within minutes).

neutrino - 17-7-2006 at 06:08

What tends to happen to me during the summer:

-Lie down in bed with blanket
-Decide it's too hot and take the blanket off entirely
-Decide it's sorta cold and plan on putting it back in a few minutes
-Wake up in the morning and go Oh Crap

12AX7 - 17-7-2006 at 13:57

FYI, manganese tends to present Parkinsons-like symptoms; I'm not sure how reversible the damage is, but from what I've read, after the source is removed, the symptoms go away after a few months. I've heard of it being absorbed through the skin (a potter working for weeks on clay with a high MnO2 content, which colors it black), inhalation (weldors beware: various steels contain 0.5~5% manganese) and I imagine ingestion. I'm not sure what kind of acute (as opposed to chronic, as above) symptoms appear. Meh, hell..read the MSDS...

Tim

Marvin - 18-7-2006 at 08:08

Chlorine/HCl possible.

Oxidisers and free radicals like Cl2 and NO2 can cause cell death on a scale that tricks the body into thinking it has a virus. It then kicks off the immune response. The tendency is to assume you weakened your immune system enough to get a virus, when generally the virus doesn't exist.

More severe exposure results in pneumonia symptoms with a risk of, particually with NO2 the body going into a kill-the-virus-or-die-trying like mode such as pulminary edema. People can die hours or even days after the initial exposure has ended.

I had a bought of 'pnumonia' following a runaway oxidiation of a nitration reaction. I don't remeber the symptoms lasting longer than a day or two. I didn't know about the link at the time, I was told later.

chemoleo - 18-7-2006 at 08:35

Yeah but with the common cold, as I have it right now :mad:

you have mucus and shit coming out of your nose, blocked sinuses, and from your lungs. If it is yellow, it's bacterial (as with me), and if it is clear (i.e. the sputum) it is viral. Oh, and I got this friggin cold at temperatures above 30 deg C, I just can't believe it :mad:

Anyway I VERY much doubt it is some kind of poisoning. You know the term hypochondriac?

woelen - 18-7-2006 at 09:45

At the moment there is a small wave of flu going around in the Northern part of the Netherlands, while we have temperatures between 28 and 33 degrees C in the afternoon. And no, these people are NOT experimenting with chemicals, so I guess it is some virus or bacteria going around. One of my collegues also was sick for two days last week. So, for the OP, I would really not worry about chemical poisoning. Shit just happens, even in mid-summer

[Edited on 18-7-06 by woelen]

Marvin - 19-7-2006 at 03:05

Logic apears to have left this thread far behind.

chemoleo,

If what you have is bacterial, then it isnt the common cold.

woelen,

Ruling out a chemical cause on the basis other illness happens in summer without a chemical cause is also not sound reasoning.

Telling the chemically caused versions is fairly simple, they start within 24hours of a dose of something nasty, sore throat, mucas, cough etc. They generally last a lot less than an 'ordinary' illness as the damage stops almost as soon as the exposure does. Most people will know how long they take to deal with a typical cold virus.

chemoleo,

You know the phrase 'ignorence is bliss'? Its not true you know.

nitro-genes - 19-7-2006 at 17:34

Completely off topic:

The green and the yellow chemoleo was talking about is always preceeded by clear fluids running from the nose.

So, I always thought that the immune system is so occupied fighting the rhinovirus (the cause of almost all common-cold-like-disease) that bacteria get the change to get a piece of the action too...

Seen the chemicals he used btw, and the manner in which they were used, it seems highly unlikely that this can be the cause in any way. I noticed that when you collect and work with a lot of different chemicals you can get a little paranoid at some times, especially when you just start with it.

Don't get met wrong though, there are numerous chemicals that require extra care in usage, but reading every MSDS is a good way of becoming completely paranoid of chemicals...

chemoleo - 19-7-2006 at 18:03

Quote:

chemoleo,

If what you have is bacterial, then it isnt the common cold.

What is the bacterial equivalent of a cold called then? English isn't my native language...
The symptoms between viral and bacterial 'colds' can be very similar, and are often distinguished by the colour of the mucus.

Well, I rarely get the viral variety of colds, only the bacterial ones. They start with me feeling very shattered ('knackered') for no reason, and a slight tingle in the back of the nose, or the occasional innocent cough. Two days later, the nose may be slightly blocked, and it goes away if it was a mild cold (substitute with Marvins word for the equivalent). If it is a heavy cold, it goes as nitrogenes described, runny nose, soon followed by yellow stuff here and there, and a few hours later, no more breathing ability through nose, chesty cough with yellowness, blocked sinuses, and sometimes blocked ears, feeling like you are looking at the world through a fuzzy tunnel.. No sense of smell, all you can do is taste sweet, salty and sour. 'Hate it. Takes a while to shake it off too. I never used to get many colds until I went to bloody england :mad:

. Not sure however about the opportunistic bacterial attack, nitrogenes , as your immune system isnt usually THAT weakened by a normal viral cold. There should be plenty of antibodies floating about regardless, otherwise we'd all die quickly from horrific secondary infections after a small primary infection.... If your antibody count on the bacterial cold has gone down enough though... or if a new variant of the cold attacks you... then you may well get the two at the same time.

Quote:

chemoleo,

You know the phrase 'ignorence is bliss'? Its not true you know.

Eh, Marvin? But you are proving it true by literally spelling it out!

[Edited on 20-7-2006 by chemoleo]

unionised - 23-7-2006 at 01:32

I just wonder how bacteria or viruses (viri?) can read the calendar.

"Hang on folks, we can't infect this bloke"
"Why not, we are bacteria- that's what we do."
"Ah, yes, but it's Summer, so he's imune"
"What's Summer?"
"Good question. Waggons roll!"

proton_force - 23-7-2006 at 04:21

Nice joke

- Well also I got a cold in summer, at 38°C, actually no great thing, despite the small cold is pretty annoying, and that while I did only experimented a bit with Kaliumaluminiumalaun. So viruses or bacterias come whenever your immune system gets weak a mom

Brie - 28-7-2006 at 08:22

I'm going to be the mom and say drink lots fluids and whatnot

Most summer colds are caused by dehydration, which can also wreck havoc with your immuse system. The main reason people get colds during the winter is they are closeted together with other people who potentially have infections. Going out and playing in the snow instead of hiding inside with sick people is quite possibly the safest thing you can do...

That, and we're endotherems, I'm sure our bodies can handle a drop outside in temp w/out completely going nuts and saying "come and get it!" to all virii and bacteria. Getting a "cold" is quite a misnomer, unless you're temperature has been significantly lowered to actually affect your immuse response. If that happens, you've got other problems

vulture - 29-7-2006 at 01:53

Meh, I got a nasty bacterial throat infection in the summer of 2004. One day I was fine, the next day I could barely speak and it lasted for nearly goddamn six weeks. Still don't know what caused it. :mad:

Marvin - 1-8-2006 at 05:17

Its also helpful to note that sunstroke produces fever symptoms and is very likley to happen in summer.