Europe is mad, sustances of very high concern

The legislation on cobalt chloride came in ages ago - about 6 years since if memory serves after it was realised that the stuff causes cancer (in common with lots of transition metals). It was considered so benign in the 1970's that childrens chemistry sets included a tube and it was a staple "invisible ink". Only truly invisible on pink paper though. Modern invisible inks for UV will probably be banned before too long as well - most of them are borderline as suspected mutagens.

I agree the legislation has produced bizarre chemophobia, but the politicians and civil servants don't have the first clue about science in general so they enact garbage over zealous legislation. It is mainly a dose makes the poison problem here when used as an indicator, but you do not want to breathe the dust.

Another pretty good one is that to smoke on a chemical manufacturing site in theory you should fill in all the paperwork for a hazardous experiment known to release carcinogens into the atmosphere. Much as I dislike tobacco smoke I do think this is over reacting. This means many sites now have a total ban on smoking (not just in flame proof areas).

I even feel a little bit sorry for the huddle of miserable looking sods frozen cold in their two walled smoking shelters at this time of year.

Regards, Martin Brown

Come to California. We have a law where all hazardous substances must be labeled. Now we are rife with labels, so much so that we ignore the labels. I'm surprised that tap water doesn't have a hazarous substance label on it ... "Warning submerging your head for extended periods of time, consuming more than 4 litres at a sitting, or dropping a container with more than 3 litres on your head may cause serious injury or death".

There are times when I'm glad I live in a relatively backward place. We don't bother with things like that - yet.

Conformal coatings are clear, yet 100% UV reactive. That is how inspectors can tell if a coating was applied of not.

I do not think it will be going away any time soon.

You left out trying to drink it in its vapour phase, or dive into it in it solid phase.

Now, surely there must be something in a label that's hazardous. Those labels should be labelled.

By the way, see the Penn and Teller's item on getting water banned.

Sylvia.

We used that as kids at school to make rudimentary humidity indicators (Blue = damp, pink = dry)

Just painted it on card.

Well, if one wants to be careful, then WATER should have a 100 percent ban as being an extreme hazard. It can kill in many ways; for starters one can drown in it, as well as destroy your tissues if you were out in the desert dehydrated and drank the stuff. I is truly a universal solvent; wearing out mountains,dissolving their contents in the process. And the more pure it is, the more vigorous it is; making it impossible to contain it! Write it up "properly" and some legislature type will write a law against water (almost happened WRT gravity).

Thanks for adding to my list of water hazards! (previously posted)

Darn! Please give a synopsis for us dial-uppers?

Then people will find a loophole and use this water (Wasser in German) instead:

Good stuff, but don't drive afterwards.

I thought that it (BeO) was heat sink media.

It is so toxic, I find it hard to believe that it was used in paint.

Penn and Teller doing a petition against dihydrogen monoxide

It's the Cobalt Dichloride.. concerns seem to be that it appears to be carcinogen (category 2 = should be regarded as if they are carcinogenic to humans) as well as being rather poisonous (about 1/25 as poisonous to rats as rat poison).

Doesn't look all that bad in small quantities, but things with carcinogenic or cumulative qualities deserve some care.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Not beryllium oxide, cobalt dichloride.

Even back in the day, they weren't stupid ;-)

You must be talking about the paint.

The heat sink media is BeO, and that IS a deadly carcinogen, if introduced internally.

Far out! Any success?

substances

included

so=20

=20

too=20

=20

mainly=20

you=20

=20

many=20

sods=20

Reminds me of a party game "AdLibs" (tm) where there was one page for writing a new law; the concealed object (noun) from the players was = "heart"=20 with hilarious results.