Thallium safety issues E. Bellingeri M. Toselli Danger: Acute Tox. Acute toxicity Aquatic Chronic Chronic aquatic toxicity H272 May intensify fire; oxidiser. H300 Fatal if swallowed. H300 + H330 Fatal if swallowed or if inhaled H330 Fatal if inhaled. H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure. H411 Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Ox. Sol. Oxidizing solids STOT RE Specific target organ toxicity - repeated exposure Exposure controls: Appropriate engineering controls Avoid contact with skin, eyes and clothing. Personal protective equipment Face shield and safety glasses Handle with gloves. erived from it. Body Protection Complete suit protecting against chemicals, The type of protective equipment must be selectedaccording to the concentration and amount of the dangerous substance at the specific workplace. Respiratory protection Where risk assessment shows air-purifying respirators are appropriate use a full-face particlerespirator Control of environmental exposure Prevent further leakage or spillage if safe to do so. Do not let product enter drains. Discharge intothe environment must be avoided. Thallium nitrate Thallium oxide HAZARD SUMMARY: Thallium can affect you when breathed in and by passing through your skin. Thallium can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. Prolonged contact can cause blurred vision and/or loss of vision, nail changes, skin rash and dryness, and hair loss. Exposure can cause fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, metallic taste, insomnia, confusion and mood changes. Thallium can damage the nervous system causing headache, weakness, irritability, pain, and pins and needles in the arms and legs. Repeated exposures can cause tremor, convulsions, hallucinations, coma and death. Thallium may damage the liver and kidneys. The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.1 mg/m 3 averaged over an 8-hour workshift. When skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even though air levels are less than the limits listed above. WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is sometimes necessary. Dedicated laboratories are mandatory Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous exposures. The following work practices are recommended: Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Thallium should change into clean clothing promptly. Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family members could be exposed. Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by individuals who have been informed of the hazards of exposure to Thallium. Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate work area for emergency use. If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency shower facilities should be provided. On skin contact with Thallium, immediately wash or shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have contacted Thallium, whether or not known skin contact has occurred. Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Thallium is handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, smoking, or using the toilet. Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during cleanup. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. After this terrific news let be more practical: About Tl toxicity there aren't specific study on the superconducting phases but: The lethal dose for humans is around 1 g of Tl assumed (15 mg/kg) (By ingestion or inhalation or contact). Taking into account the stoichiometry this means the assumption of about 1 cm 3 of superconductor. If we think about a 10 cm wide ribbon with a thickness of 1 um we can estimate in 10 meter the lethal dose of coatings. Considering that the elimination time from the human body is maximum 30 days the handling of the coatings do not have serious safety problem: Careful manipulation is adequate. No specific precaution are necessary in handling the reacted phase (it is insoluble, so cannot penetrate the unbroken skin) or even more the final conductor. 1 cm 3 The decomposition temperature is around C even if small Tl losses can start at 780 C In case of fire these temperature can be easy reached In this case Tl is not the only harmful substance released... Several Tl grams can be diffused in the air and then condensate on cold wall making a procedure of cleaning mandatory. Dispositivi di protezione individuale Smaltimento sali esausti Lidentificazione del rifiuto si basa, sullorigine dello stesso e sulla presenza di sostanze pericolose codice C.E.R. ipotizzato: * Sali e loro soluzioni contenti metalli pesanti I rifiuti devono essere raccolti in contenitori appropriati in base al volume e al tipo di rifiuto, realizzati in materiali resistenti e a tenuta per impedire la fuoriuscita di materiale I contenitori devono essere etichettati con il simbolo di rifiuto: