Magpie
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sulfuryl fluoride and methyl bromide poisonings
Here's a report of a recent poisoning of a family in Florida following a house fumigation with sulfuryl fluoride by Terminix. Also mentioned is that
the same company poisoned a family in St John, VI, using methyl bromide for a fumigation.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/04/us/termite-fumigation-hospital...
[Edited on 5-9-2015 by Magpie]
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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szuko03
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Wow that's a sad story and I am usually not so moved by articles but this:
"He's got his personality; he will still smile and still laugh, but he can't get the words out that he wants to say and can't move the way he wants to
move, and frustration sets in,"
That makes me incredibly sad. Perhaps its because i value my mental acuity and one of my biggest fears is the mental decay that comes with age so
having it in a sense happen by accident, I cant help but feel for him.
It does kind of raise the question of how trained these operators are. Obviously there is a level of risk associated with the application of poisons
and they are in some ways a necessity in todays society but poor application practices at least can be avoided through proper training, not saying
that IS the issue.
Chemistry is a natural drive, not an interest.
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aga
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Well, the Termites probably died, so the job was done in a way.
Fire would also have worked.
It is still incredible that bricks and mortar are Not the most common buliding materials used in North America and that flammable termite food is used
instead.
Sadly chemicals get Tested on normal people a lot for the sake of profit.
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careysub
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Quote: Originally posted by aga  | Well, the Termites probably died, so the job was done in a way.
Fire would also have worked.
It is still incredible that bricks and mortar are Not the most common buliding materials used in North America and that flammable termite food is used
instead.
Sadly chemicals get Tested on normal people a lot for the sake of profit. |
You are right about the vulnerability of wood construction to termites, but are wrong to suggest that they are a greater fire danger. They are not.
House fires are due to the the combustion of furnishings in the house, brick (or steel) buildings are just as vulnerable to this. In a fire everyone
in the house is already safely rescued or dead, and the contents a total loss before the framing ever has a chance to get involved. The structure of
wood frame houses is often completely savageable after major fires, even deadly ones. Sure wood houses do burn to the ground on occasion, unlike
brick, but this is rare.
The reason why wood frame construction is used in the U.S. is because it is a very good way of building houses - prefabricated trusses can be used for
quick low cost construction. Wood does not conduct heat and with insulation in the hollow wall spaces they are very energy efficient for heating and
cooling. In seismic prone areas it is much, much safer than heavy masonry.*
The hollow walls are also great for running ducting for central HVAC systems (a nice-to-have absent in many parts of the world), and pipes, and
electrical conduits.
Lack of wood frame construction in Europe is partly due to lack of inexpensive wood, not a problem in well-forested North American. But you may have
noticed that even European brick buildings often still need roof rafters.
I remember reading an article in the British "New Scientist" magazine back in the early 1990s about revolutionary new house construction techniques
coming into use promising more comfortable, more easily heated homes - the techniques turned out to be identical to ordinary U.S. practice.
A better alternative to brick construction is steel frame construction - that is what I would regard as an actual improvement.
*I live in California, and will not enter a brick building here unless I am sure it has been seismically retrofitted with steel framing.
[Edited on 5-9-2015 by careysub]
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aga
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You're right about the soft furnishings.
Usually all synthetic and tend to be the first thing to ignite, decomposing to make flammable gasses burning up next to the celing, the heat from
which ignites the rest of the stuff in the room.
Where having Brick walls wins is that in the same situation, the Walls do not burn quite so easliy.
This is one reason there are are centuries old Stone castles in Europe (despite people trying to smash and burn them repeatedly) and none in the USA.
Make your houses from Bricks like the ancients taught us.
They last longer.
Edit:
Also avoid floodplains and earthquake zones.
High is a good place to be.
[Edited on 5-9-2015 by aga]
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careysub
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| Quote: Originally posted by aga |
...
Where having Brick walls wins is that in the same situation, the Walls do not burn quite so easliy. |
But for all decades since WWII walls in the U.S. are not made of wood. The stuff they use for that is radically cheaper and fireproof: gypsum board
(aka "dry wall", "plaster board" etc.). People on this site make >1000 C furnaces out of the stuff.
Notice that I consistently used the term "wood frame" - it is only the structural members that are wood (joints have steel reinforcement).
| Quote: |
Also avoid floodplains and earthquake zones.
High is a good place to be.
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Well, the flood plains at least are easily avoided since they are localized. I have always located above any possible flood.
[Edited on 6-9-2015 by careysub]
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violet sin
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Did someone mention drywall??? That is what I do for a living  ya, double hung
5/8" sheets is a 2 hour fire barrier. Safe for the timber frame for that period of fire inside the room. That is hanging 2 layers of 5/8" thickness
"rock"( as we call it) over the same wall/ceiling surface provides that flame resistance
. Code requires it on all walls between adjoining rooms in a hotell etc. As well as ceilings with livigh quarters above. Such as some garages on the
first floor of a 2+ story home, apartments and again hotels. I don't know much about high rise codes, skyscrapers etc.
Just did a patch at a holiday inn express on hwy 20 that has a wood frame, metal z bar soundproofing with double hung 5/8" rock. Robust, quiet and
safe.
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byko3y
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Gypsum putty is indeed used for covering walls, but the reason why it is used is because it can be easily given any shape. Dry wall can't, carry any
load it's mainly used to separate large rooms into smaller ones, because those walls can be easily remade into a new configuration, but still the
building is made from bricks and concrete (and maybe steel or some other material as framework).
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violet sin
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Drywall, aka gypsum board, is sometimes calculated as sheer wall in blueprints. And mandatory in some places in lieu of plywood. So don't say it's
not strong. If you haven't had to cut and hang 5/8" drywall you probably don't know how resiliant and strong it is. It helps rack walls straight,
preventing sideways mobility in settling. Much like steel ribbon nailed across the studs.
Gypsum putty does take a nice shape, it is also part of a process called fire-tape(ing). Even where no attempt is made to give an aesthetic appeal,
you have to fire tape. As per code. Some garages are shelled out in rock and firetaped only. Or behind thin wood veneers, tile, etc. And hot mud,
akin to plaster, is a dry powder that has water mixed to form a mud that will harden in a specific amount of time, 5, 20, 45, 90 and 210 min mud. It
is great as a structural layer to allow deep fills in just a couple coats. It's also great for making molds Just don't cast aluminum in it from what
I hear. The hardening is a result of crystal formation by sequestering water. The timing is done with a timed release chelating agent from what I
have heard. Under the proprietary ingredients list, it's not disclosed.
The main thrust of this thread, the poisioning of a family and destruction of a little boys nervous system, is HORRIBLE.. So sad.
Typing from a phone sux. Side note, if you have ever cut a piece of drywall wrong twice in a row and got pissed off... You might have ran your fist
through it. Then immediately regretted it! It will take well calloused knuckle skin right off. Leaving your carples and metacarples aching for the
rest of the day. I've only been doing this 7.5-8 yrs now.
[Edited on 6-9-2015 by violet sin]
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kecskesajt
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-Your house has been fumigated with a compound causes brain damage and can make you unable tomove for a lifetime?
-You can go back after 2 days!
Seriusly,are there any work ups ther after fumigation? Here, if the crops fumigated with PH3 or CO you can't go there for 3 MONTHS!
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violet sin
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some thoughts after reading wiki page on SO2F2, first off, why?? poison + food, sure
wiki: Dow recently has begun marketing sulfuryl fluoride as a post-harvest fumigant for dry fruits, nuts, and grains under the trade name ProFume
(EPA Reg. No. 62719- 376-AA)
and then, back on track
wiki: During application, the building is enclosed in a tight tent and filled with the gas for a period of time, usually at least 16–18 hours,
sometimes as long as 72 hours. The building must then be ventilated, generally for at least 6 hours, before occupants can return...
6hrs ehh? at least in cali :
California regulations are such that the tent will be on for three to five days, which includes ventilation. The concentration is continuously
monitored and maintained at the specified level using electronic equipment. Possible leakages are also checked by low range electronic detectors...
...Reentry to the home is allowed when the concentration level is at or below 5 ppm...
other upsides of the chem.. sulfuryl fluoride has an atmospheric lifetime of 30–40 years,.. ... has been reported to be a greenhouse gas which is
about 4000-5000 times more efficient in trapping infrared radiation (per kg) than carbon dioxide (per kg)...
Personally I think I'll stay away for more than a few hours. preferably, the rest-o my life sounds perfect. I would think managing the flora/fauna
in the termites stomach that let's the lill buggers eat timber, would be a bit easier to manage and safer to mammals. no immediate response of
course, but I bet they have been eating your structure for a while after you notice. might even be able to find some plant based chems that smell
nice for the job. and what's wrong with : (Heat is the only other approved method for whole structure treatment for termites in California.[13]) no
brain damage here, but you might have to move a few things out side first.
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Praxichys
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Sulfuryl fluoride has been safely used for years. The strange thing is the detection of MeBr in a previous incident by the same company. Perhaps the
two were mixed, either purposefully or accidentally, potentially forming COF2 or SOF2? Both are extremely poisonous analogues of
phosgene.
The greenhouse potential alone should get it banned for fumigation. Use 20kg to fill a house and it's like 100,000 kg of CO2!
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