SpeedStir

[jseyfert3]

I am not buying that. Could you please tell us which reagents have been declared carcinogens and by whom?

R-0630, the chromate indicator for the salt test, is a known carcinogenic. Info from the Taylor SDS:

I checked through the rest of the test kit chemical SDS, none of the others are listed as having carcinogens. Between that and the warnings to avoid skin contact on the silver natrate it's probably wise to try and minimize contact with that particular test kit regeant or sample.

For the rest of the testing, I personally put two fingers over the vial to keep the magnet in check and dump the test sample out, then partially submerge in the pool/spa twice to fill and dump the vial (outside the pool/spa), which rinses both the vial and my fingers.

 

[duraleigh]

If the R-0630 is in this same category as wine, smoked sausage, etc. Should we avoid skin contact with them as well?

Sorry, but my buttons have been pushed before on this. I would suggest if you are afraid of the test chemistry, is a pool then really worth it?

 

[jseyfert3]

If the R-0630 is in this same category as wine, smoked sausage, etc. Should we avoid skin contact with them as well?

Sorry, but my buttons have been pushed before on this. I would suggest if you are afraid of the test chemistry, is a pool then really worth it?

Not all carcinogens are the same, and I too enjoyed smoked and grilled meat and wine, and I'm not giving them up. CC's are a known carcinogen, but I'll take the very slight cancer risk over baterial or viral contamination of my pool or drinking water any day.

The salt test in particular the chromate is probably not a huge deal. You're not ingesting it anyway. But the silver nitrate portion of the test has very special skin contact warnings:


It is wise to be aware of the risks and make your own judgement as to the level of risk you're willing to take. To me, avoiding skin contact during the salt test in particular makes sense, primarily due to the silver nitrate warnings, but a brief contact with the rest of the used test sample solutions does not bother me.

 

[crackers8199]

If the R-0630 is in this same category as wine, smoked sausage, etc. Should we avoid skin contact with them as well?

Sorry, but my buttons have been pushed before on this. I would suggest if you are afraid of the test chemistry, is a pool then really worth it?

i don't see how wanting to be careful and using a magnet to get the pill out of the vial rather than dumping it all over my hands somehow equates to "i'm afraid of the chemicals and shouldn't have a pool," but thanks for the input.

sorry i said anything. should've known better on the internet, i guess.

that being said, i thought i had read somewhere that a few of them were. i stand corrected if it's only the salt reagent. i'll still keep using the magnet to get the speed stir bar out of the vial rather than using my hands. everyone else is of course free to handle it however they like, just thought i'd throw that out there as a suggestion in case anyone else wishes to not touch the solution.

 

[Jeff J.]

R-0630, the chromate indicator for the salt test, is a known carcinogenic. Info from the Taylor SDS:
View attachment 161303
I checked through the rest of the test kit chemical SDS, none of the others are listed as having carcinogens. Between that and the warnings to avoid skin contact on the silver natrate it's probably wise to try and minimize contact with that particular test kit regeant or sample.

For the rest of the testing, I personally put two fingers over the vial to keep the magnet in check and dump the test sample out, then partially submerge in the pool/spa twice to fill and dump the vial (outside the pool/spa), which rinses both the vial and my fingers.

I actually do exactly that, put two fingers over the tube. Can't say I worry about carcinogens in the reagents much. What we eat, drink, and inhale on a regular basis is much more likely to give us cancer. Also too much sun, which is very relevant to pools.

 

[Newdude]

If you eat enough bacon and hotdogs to give you cancer, The heart attack got you long before the cancer showed up.

 

[Kellyp]

I personally don't believe we need to be judging other peoples comfort levels. Everyone should handle chemicals in whatever manner makes them feel safest.

Crackers, duraliegh is a fount of knowledge on this forum and very helpful to many people, but for things like this, of course do what you like!

 

[jgofnj]

I'm going to go a little against the grain. I got my TF-100 last year. I got the Speedstir a few weeks ago. It's definitely cool and fun, but definitely unnecessary. I do the OTO and PH test almost every day. I do the FAS-DPD, TA, CYA and CH once a week. So I use the Speedstir for three tests per week. The results have been exactly the same with and without the Speedstir. If you plan on doing the FAS-DPD test every day, that would make a difference. But if you test as I do, it's basically a little bit of a convenience, and a fun toy.

I have to totally disagree with this. The Speedstir is totally worth it and makes testing much easier to perform.

 

[Homebrewale]

More people die from dihydrogen monoxide than they do from R-0630.