Which reagents are dangerous????

[bdenehy]

Dave,

I love your test kit... So do's my boy, a toddler. It's not like he drinks the vials or anything, but he wants to "help". You know, count the drops, stir the pool water, etc., and I wash his hands when we are done. Are there any testing agents that I should really keep him away from?
Thanks
Bill

 

[Guest]

Not to alarm you but:
OTO is a suspected carcinogen and is in a hydrochloric acid base
the TA titrant is sulfuric acid (dilute)
the first calcium reagent is sodium hydroxide (lye)
DPD is an analine derivative and as such is toxic (Then again so are permanent hair dyes!)
The Combined chlorine reagent is potassium iodide (also found in white iodine and it's considered toxic...then again my mother used to put iodine on all my cuts and scrapes when I was a kid)

All that being said the components of your test kit are really no more dangerous than many common household cleaners and chemicals.

I personally don't know if I would let a toddler help with anything other than a ph test but once he gets a bit older teach him how to do the tests and do it with him. Reason I say this is I got my first chemistry set when i was about 6 but I was only permitted to use it with my mother or father. It started in me a lifelong love of science!
By the time he is 10 or 12 your might have your very own live in poolboy! (or maybe the next great chemist!)

 

[jjdurrant]

I let my 6 yr old swirl.. but nothing else. She always washes her hands after!

 

[H2O_Keeper]

Re: OTO R-0600 ...I read the words "contains chemicals known to cause cancer" right on the top of the label. The term carcinogen used in this thread discussing it's relative harmlessness compared to household chemicals. Is there any data supporting to what level it is potentially dangerous?

 

[Guest]

Re: OTO R-0600 ...I read the words "contains chemicals known to cause cancer" right on the top of the label. The term carcinogen used in this thread discussing it's relative harmlessness compared to household chemicals. Is there any data supporting to what level it is potentially dangerous?

Suspected carcinogenic with ingestion or repeated skin contact. (I don't mean getting a drop on your skin once in a while.) Then again many household chemicals fall into this catagorry also (and some are known carconogens! Just check some of the labels in your garage, particularly solvents, paints, etc!)

Remember, it says "contains chemicals known to cause cancer...". It doesn't say about what concentration they cause cancer or the amount of contact needed or mode of ingestgion.

For that matter, grilling over charcoal can make food cancer causing by creating free radicals but that doesn't slow down all the avid grillers we have! (This is nothing new and has been known since about the 60's!)

Just consider the words on the label a warning to use common sense when using the reagent.

Here is a link to an OTO MSDS, it is NOT listed as carcinogenic.
http://www.fullereng.com/msds-oto.htm

Also, realize that just about every aniline derivative is a carcinogen or suspected carcinogen (This includes DPD and also permanent hair color!), as are the closely related tolidines (which are methylanilines)!