Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 18:45:57 -0800
Reply-To: Bill Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bill Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Subject: Re: Halon & extinguishers in general
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Halon is a brand name for the chemical Carbon Tetrachloride...
The county water quality people nearly shut down my water well last year
because we got just one reading of .6 (point six) parts per Billion
The county gave me some printed information on Carbon Tetrachloride:
"Exposures to high levels of CCl4 can cause a number of harmful health
effects, including death, in exposed people. The most immediate effects are
usually on the brain. Common effects are headache and dizziness, along with
nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, stupor or even coma can result. These
effects usually disappear within a day or two after exposure, but permanent
damage to nerve cells can occur in sever cases."
It goes on to talk about liver, kidney, and brain damage due to Carbon
Tetracholoide... better known as Halon.
Bill Davidson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael E. Pidcoe" <pidcoe@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: Halon & extinguishers in general
> I am not a chemist (nor do I play one on TV) but I do not understand the
> recent posts about "toxic" halon. I have worked in the computer
> industry for, wow, about twenty years now and we use halon in every
> datacenter that I have been in.
> I still remember the first time I saw it tested. It was in a tape vault
> and the fellow who installed it, dumped the system while he was sitting
> in there just to show that it was not dangerous. (I know shame on the
> Ozone-slayer) Now I can not say if this guy is still above ground but
> the thinking at that time was surely much different than now. Was that
> guy mis-informed or did scientists give cancer to some more poor
> unsuspecting rats or something?
>
> One more thing. Those itty-bitty extinguishers are useless unless you
> are trying to put out someone's cigarette. If you feel like you need
> one, carry at least a five pounder (I would carry two of those). I have
> put out car fires with those dinky extinguishers only to see the fire
> erupt again and here I am standing around with an empty bottle. Very
> sad.
>
> Regards,
> Mike Pidcoe
> '86 Syncro (very very soon)
> '74 Thing (daily driver)
> '72 GT4 race bug
> '87 Intermeccanica
>
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