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9 Senyawa Kimia Yang Sangat Berbahaya Bagi Manusia

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: Safety

Beberapa Senyawa kimia yang harus diperhatikan karena berbahaya adalah :
1. AgNO3 (Silver Nitrate)

Senyawa ini beracun dan korosif. Simpanlah dalam botol berwarna dan ruang yang gelap serta jauhkan dari bahan-bahan yang mudah terbakar.

Potensi Bahaya : Dapat menyebabkan luka bakar dan kulit melepuh. Gas/uapnya juga menyebabkan hal yang sama.

2. HCl (Hydro Chloric Acid) - Asam Klorida

Asam klorida adalah larutan akuatik dari gas hidrogen klorida (HCl). Ia adalah asam kuat, dan merupakan komponen utama dalam asam lambung. Senyawa ini juga digunakan secara luas dalam industri. Asam klorida harus ditangani dengan wewanti keselamatan yang tepat karena merupakan cairan yang sangat korosif.

Sejak Revolusi Industri, senyawa ini menjadi sangat penting dan digunakan untuk berbagai tujuan, meliputi produksi massal senyawa kimia organik seperti vinil klorida untuk plastik PVC dan MDI/TDI untuk poliuretana. Kegunaan kecil lainnya meliputi penggunaan dalam pembersih rumah, produksi gelatin, dan aditif makanan. Sekitar 20 juta ton gas HCl diproduksi setiap tahunnya.

Potensi Bahaya : Asam klorida pekat (asam klorida berasap) akan membentuk kabut asam. Baik kabut dan larutan tersebut bersifat korosif terhadap jaringan tubuh, dengan potensi kerusakan pada organ pernapasan, mata, kulit, dan usus. Seketika asam klorida bercampur dengan bahan kimia oksidator lainnya, seperti natrium hipoklorit (pemutih NaClO) atau kalium permanganat (KMnO4), gas beracun klorin akan terbentuk.

3. H2S (Hidrogen Sulfida)

Hidrogen sulfida, H2S, adalah gas yang tidak berwarna, beracun, mudah terbakar dan berbau seperti telur busuk. Gas ini dapat timbul dari aktivitas biologis ketika bakteri mengurai bahan organik dalam keadaan tanpa oksigen (aktivitas anaerobik), seperti di rawa, dan saluran pembuangan kotoran. Gas ini juga muncul pada gas yang timbul dari aktivitas gunung berapi dan gas alam.

Potensi Bahaya : Menghirup bahan ini dapat menyebabkan pingsan, gangguan pernafasan, bahkan kematian.

4. H2SO4 (ASAM SULFAT)

Asam sulfat, H2SO4, merupakan asam mineral (anorganik) yang kuat. Zat ini larut dalam air pada semua perbandingan. Asam sulfat mempunyai banyak kegunaan dan merupakan salah satu produk utama industri kimia. Produksi dunia asam sulfat pada tahun 2001 adalah 165 juta ton, dengan nilai perdagangan seharga US$8 juta. Kegunaan utamanya termasuk pemrosesan bijih mineral, sintesis kimia, pemrosesan air limbah dan pengilangan minyak.

Asam sulfat terbentuk secara alami melalui oksidasi mineral sulfida, misalnya besi sulfida. Air yang dihasilkan dari oksidasi ini sangat asam dan disebut sebagai air asam tambang. Air asam ini mampu melarutkan logam-logam yang ada dalam bijih sulfida, yang akan menghasilkan uap berwarna cerah yang beracun. Oksidasi besi sulfida pirit oleh oksigen molekuler menhasilkan besi(II), atau Fe2+

Potensi Bahaya :

Sifat-sifat asam sulfat yang korosif diperburuk oleh reaksi eksotermiknya dengan air. Luka bakar akibat asam sulfat berpotensi lebih buruk daripada luka bakar akibat asam kuat lainnya, hal ini dikarenakan adanya tambahan kerusakan jaringan dikarenakan dehidrasi dan kerusakan termal sekunder akibat pelepasan panas oleh reaksi asam sulfat dengan air.

Asam sulfat dianggap tidak beracun selain bahaya korosifnya. Resiko utama asam sulfat adalah kontak dengan kulit yang menyebabkan luka bakar dan penghirupan aerosol asap. Paparan dengan aerosol asam pada konsentrasi tinggi akan menyebabkan iritasi mata, saluran pernafasan, dan membran mukosa yang parah. Iritasi akan mereda dengan cepat setelah paparan, walaupun terdapat risiko edema paru apabila kerusakan jaringan lebih parah. Pada konsentrasi rendah, simtom-simtom akibat paparan kronis aerosol asam sulfat yang paling umumnya dilaporkan adalah pengikisan gigi. Indikasi kerusakan kronis saluran pernafasan masih belum jelas. Di Amerika Serikat, batasan paparan yang diperbolehkan ditetapkan sebagai 1 mg/m³. Terdapat pula laporan bahwa penelanan asam sulfat menyebabkan defisiensi vitamin B12 dengan degenarasi gabungan subakut.

5. NaOH (Sodium Hidroksida/Soda Api)

Senyawa ini bersifat higroskopis dan menyerap gas CO2.

Potensi Bahaya:
Dapat merusak jaringan tubuh.

Kulit kena NaOH.

6. NH3 (Amoniak)

Amonia adalah senyawa kimia dengan rumus NH3. Biasanya senyawa ini didapati berupa gas dengan bau tajam yang khas (disebut bau amonia). Walaupun amonia memiliki sumbangan penting bagi keberadaan nutrisi di bumi, amonia sendiri adalah senyawa kaustik dan dapat merusak kesehatan. Administrasi Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Pekerjaan Amerika Serikat memberikan batas 15 menit bagi kontak dengan amonia dalam gas berkonsentrasi 35 ppm volum, atau 8 jam untuk 25 ppm volume.

Potensi bahaya :

Kontak dengan gas amonia berkonsentrasi tinggi dapat menyebabkan kerusakan paru-paru dan bahkan kematian. Sekalipun amonia di AS diatur sebagai gas tak mudah terbakar, amonia masih digolongkan sebagai bahan beracun jika terhirup, dan pengangkutan amonia berjumlah lebih besar dari 3.500 galon (13,248 L) harus disertai surat izin.

Menghirup senyawa ini pada konsentrasi tinggi dapat menyebabkan pembengkakan saluran pernafasan dan sesak nafas. Terkena amonia pada konsentrasi 0.5% (v/v) selama 30 menit dapat menyebabkan kebutaan.

7. HCN (Asam Sianida)

Senyawa ini sangat beracun, bahkan ada pada salah satu makanan yang sering kita makan yakni singkong yang mengalami kerusakan. Gejala kerusakan ditandai dengan keluarnya warna biru gelap akibat terbentuknya asam sianida yang bersifat racun bagi manusia. Asam Sianida juga ada pada buah Kepayang.
Kepayang, kluwek, keluwek, keluak, atau kluak (Pangium edule Reinw. ex Blume; suku Achariaceae, dulu dimasukkan dalam Flacourtiaceae) adalah tumbuhan berbentuk pohon yang tumbuh liar atau setengah liar. Orang Sunda menyebutnya picung atau pucung (begitu pula sebagian orang Jawa Tengah) dan di Toraja disebut panarassan.

Biji keluwek dipakai sebagai bumbu dapur masakan Indonesia yang memberi warna hitam pada rawon, daging bumbu kluwek, brongkos, serta sup konro. Bijinya, yang memiliki salut biji yang bisa dimakan, bila mentah sangat beracun karena mengandung asam sianida dalam konsentrasi tinggi. Bila dimakan dalam jumlah tertentu menyebabkan pusing (mabuk).
Racun pada biji ini dapat dipakai sebagai racun untuk mata panah. Biji ini aman diolah untuk makanan bila telah direbus dan direndam terlebih dahulu.

Juga ada artikel yg menyatakan bahwa Asam Sianida (Hidrogen Cynide) dijadikan sebagai senjata pembunuh massal di zaman NAZI-Jerman.

8. HF (Hydrofluoric Acid)

Asam fluorida adalah asam yang sangat korosif, mampu melarutkan banyak bahan, terutama oksida. Kemampuan untuk melarutkan kaca telah dikenal sejak abad ke-17, bahkan sebelumnya asam fluorida telah disiapkan dalam jumlah besar oleh Carl Wilhelm Scheele pada tahun 1771. Karena reaktivitas yang tinggi terhadap kaca dan reaktivitas moderat terhadap banyak logam, asam fluorida adalah biasanya disimpan dalam wadah plastik meskipun politetrafluoroetilena (PTFE) sedikit permeabel.

Potensi Bahaya:

hidrogen fluorida sangat initatif terhadap jaringan kulit, merusak paru-paru dan menimbulkan penyakit pneumonia (gangguan saluran pernafasan).

9. HNO3 (Asam Nitrat)

Asam Nitrat, yang dikenal juga dengan Aqua Fortis merupakan Zat yang Sangat Korosif dan merupakan Asam Yang sangat Beracun.

Potensi Bahaya :
Dapat menyebabkan luka bakar, menghirup uapnya dapat menyebabkan kematian.

Kulit yang terbakar akibat terkena HNO3

Sebuah koin yang larut dalam cairan HNO3 dalam waktu 31 detik..

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The Toyota You Don't Know

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: Safety

An interesting read here:

The Toyota You Don't Know, The Race to the Bottom in the Auto Industry from The National Labor Committee, USA.

The report says: "Right now, Toyota and the U.S. auto companies are locked in a race to the bottom, which will inevitably lead them to adopt each others worst practices."

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American supplier let Toyota down

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: Safety

The world's largest carmaker Toyota (yes, they left GM behind in 2008) is in trouble in the US after some of its models were found to have faulty accelerator pedals. Last week, the problem forced Toyota to recall 2.1 million vehicles in the US market. The carmaker has also suspended sales of eight models in the US which used these pedals. It has halted production in five plants in the US for a week to fix the problem.

Last year, Totota had to recall 4.2 million vehicles due to a risk of pedals getting trapped in lose floor mats.

The interesting bit here is that the faulty accelerator pedals were produced by an Indiana-based US company called CTS Corp, a key supplier to Toyota since 2005. Wondering what would have been the reaction if the faulty part had been produced by a Chinese manufacturer in China? But as the fact of this case is, the crazy pedal (it tends to accelerate on its own!) was produced in the US by a US company. So, everyone is now blaming Toyota for quality and safety failure. See, this is what happens when you stop buying GM and run after the Japanese cars, they seem to be saying.

Toyota shares are down on stock markets and so are the stocks of its partner suppliers. While Toyota nurses its wounds, GM, Volkswagen and Honda Motors are likely to benefit.

A market growth at break neck speed may have caused quality lapses at Toyota. But now they have hit the speed breaker. This episode has only added to an already growing belief that quality of Japanese products is not the same what it used to be. Japanese companies will have to work harder to protect their image. Their market-share leadership will be short-lived if they ignore safety, quality, and business responsibility (yes, they are mostly laggards in CR).

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EFSA Updates Safety Advice on Six Food Colours

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: EFSA, Food Colour, Safety

Source: European Food Safety Authority
12/11/2009

12 November 2009 - After reviewing all the available evidence, the European Food Safety Authority's scientific panel on additives, the ANS Panel, has lowered the Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) for the artificial food colours Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) and Ponceau 4R (E124).[1] As a result, the Panel concluded that exposure to these colours could exceed the new ADIs for both adults and children.

The Panel found that the currently available data did not require a change to the existing ADIs for the three other colours evaluated – Tartrazine (E102), Azorubine/Carmoisine (E122) and Allura Red AC (E129). According to the Panel, only some children who consume large amounts of food and drink containing Azorubine/Carmoisine or Allura Red AC could exceed the ADIs for these colours.

John Larsen, the Chair of the ANS Panel, said: “Many food colours have been in use for decades since their initial approval and so after such a long period of use we are now looking at the overall data available, including any new evidence on their safety, to help protect European consumers. We are doing this work systematically for all food additives, and have started with these colours for which some concerns have been raised.”

The six colours re-evaluated by the Panel can be used in a range of foodstuffs including soft drinks, bakery products and desserts. The Panel concluded that one of the colours, Tartrazine, may bring about intolerance reactions – such as irritations to the skin – in a small part of the population. For the remaining five colours (Quinoline Yellow, Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R, Azorubine/Carmoisine and Allura Red AC), no firm conclusion could be drawn on a possible link with intolerance reactions from the limited scientific evidence available.

EFSA is currently assessing the safety of all individual food additives which are approved for use in the EU, starting with food colours. The European Commission asked EFSA to consider these six colours as a priority after a study was published by Southampton University (McCann et al) in 2007 – the so-called “Southampton study” – linking certain mixtures of these colours and the preservative sodium benzoate with hyperactivity in children.

John Larsen added: “We have now reduced the ADIs for three of the six colours we assessed, but for different reasons in each case as different data were available on each individual compound. The data which are currently available – including the Southampton study itself – did not substantiate a causal link between the individual colours and possible behavioural effects.”

Why has EFSA assessed these colours now?

EFSA is currently reviewing the safety of all food additives which have been approved for use in the EU, as many additives were initially authorised for use a long time ago and in a number of cases new scientific data have since become available.

EFSA’s expert panel which deals with food additives, the ANS Panel, has started re-assessing all of the permitted food colours (45 in total). EFSA was asked by the European Commission to look at these six colours as a matter of priority as certain safety concerns had been raised about them.

What were EFSA’s main conclusions?

After reviewing all of the available evidence, the ANS Panel has reduced the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for three of the colours in question, namely Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) and Ponceau 4R (E124). As a result, the Panel concluded that exposure to – or consumption of – these colours could exceed the new ADIs for both adults and children.

The Panel did not change the existing ADIs for the three other colours it assessed, Tartrazine (E102), Azorubine/Carmoisine (E122) and Allura Red AC (E129). The Panel also concluded that only children who consume relatively large amounts of food and drinks containing Azorubine/Carmoisine or Allura Red AC could exceed the ADIs for these colours.

For five of the six of the colours (Quinoline Yellow, Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R, Azorubine/Carmoisine and Allura Red AC), the Panel concluded that the evidence which is currently available did not establish a causal link between the individual colours and intolerance reactions such as irritations to the skin or nose. The Panel concluded that Tartrazine may bring about intolerance reactions in a small part of the population.

For all six colours, the Panel concluded that the evidence currently available did not substantiate a causal link between the individual colours and possible behavioural effects.

If people consume more than the ADI, does this mean that they are at risk? If so, what of?

The ADI is the amount of a substance that people can consume every day over the course of a lifetime without any appreciable risk to health. The ADI is generally derived by looking at the highest intake level at which substances do not cause harmful effects in animal experiments and applying a safety factor of 100 to account for differences between humans and animals. This means that even if people exceed the ADI for a certain substance, this will not necessarily cause negative health effects.

The ANS Panel reduced the ADIs for three of the six colours which were assessed, as new data suggested that the levels at which they may cause negative health effects in animal experiments could be lower than previously thought. However, this was done for different reasons in each case as different data were available on each individual compound.

What foods are these colours used in?

The colours can be used in a range of foodstuffs, including soft drinks, bakery products, desserts, sauces, seasonings and confectionery.

Which population groups have the highest exposure levels? In which countries?

The ANS Panel based its conclusions on data relating to children’s exposure to these colours from 9 EU Member States and adult exposure from the UK population, which is considered to be one of the highest consumers of soft drinks in Europe. The data indicated that both average and high-level consumption levels are generally considerably higher for children than for adults.

How does EFSA’s work on these colours relate to that of the UK Food Standards Authority?

The Food Standards Authority commissioned a study, carried out by researchers from Southampton University in 2007, which indicated that certain mixtures of these colours (and the preservative sodium benzoate) may have a small effect on activity and attention in certain groups of children.

EFSA’s former AFC Panel evaluated this study in 2008 and concluded that it did not provide sufficient evidence to warrant changing the Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) for the individual colours. One of the reasons for this was that the study looked at mixtures and not individual additives – it was therefore not possible to attribute the effects to any of the individual colours.

As part of its systematic review of food additives which are authorised for use in the EU, EFSA has now looked at all of the available evidence relating to each of these individual colours. These colours were assessed as a matter of priority due to the concerns which had been raised.

Do these colours cause behavioural effects in children?

The ANS Panel concluded that the scientific evidence which is currently available, including the so-called “Southampton study” (McCann et al, 2007), did not substantiate a causal link between these individual colours and possible behavioural effects. The Panel also agreed with EFSA’s earlier opinion that the McCann et al study did not provide sufficient evidence to support a change to the ADIs for these individual colours.

Why did EFSA only look at individual colours, not mixtures?

In the EU food safety system, all additives are currently assessed and authorised individually. This is because in order to protect consumers, the safety of each additive must be demonstrated on an individual basis before its authorisation for use in foods can be considered by risk managers (i.e. the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Member States).

It is not practically possible to assess the safety of mixtures due to the infinite number of possible combinations of additives and other substances which are naturally present in the diet, taking into account differences in food composition, consumer food choices and dietary patterns.

What happens next?

EFSA’s role is to provide independent scientific advice. Any subsequent follow-up action is the responsibility of decision-makers, i.e. the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Member States.

Posted by Takudzwa Kufa

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John La Grou's SafePlugs

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: alternative energy, energy vampire, Safety

By Brianne McCleary

John La Grou envisions a future where all electrical outlets are "smart" -- so they can prevent fires, save lives and help conserve energy. But he is not just sitting around 'envisioning', he has built a fully functioning version of this outlet and needs everyone to help spread the word.

La Grou is co-founder of Safeplug, a system of power outlets with microprocessors and plugs with memory chips that can be slid onto existing plugs to retrofit them. At a recent talk at the Palm Springs TED conference (Technology, Entertainment & Design), LaGrou pointed out that Thomas Edison invented the circuit beaker in 1879, and some 83 percent of home fires start below the circuit breaker safety limit. Safeplug addresses this by detecting overloads at the outlet level. The system also prevents shocks and saves "vampire" or "phantom" power by only providing power to used outlets.

The interview with John La Grou after TED can be read here.

A simple video explaining how the SafePlugs work can be found here, at http://www.safeplug.com and at
http://www.2d2c.com

It took years for GFCI (ground fault interrupt) switches (the ones with Test and Reset buttons) to catch on but now they are common practice. You almost never see outlets in bathrooms or kitchens without them. The same is true for smoke alarms.

John La Grou hopes to save lives and energy. Let's help him spread the word so his SafePlugs catch on and become the new stanard quicker.

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9 Senyawa Kimia Yang Sangat Berbahaya Bagi Manusia

The Toyota You Don't Know

American supplier let Toyota down

EFSA Updates Safety Advice on Six Food Colours

John La Grou's SafePlugs

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