About using MSDS as a reality test.. and evaluating magnitude of risk
I mentioned earlier about some potential risks that I don't know the 'magnitude' of. MSDS sheets have to be taken as a grain of salt. I've read the MSDS sheet for laboratory sucrose - you would think it was dangerous, eye irritant, respiratory protections etc.. Getting good information about the MAGNITUDE of risks is hard - and MSDS don't seem very helpful. The problem is that the Lawyers got involved - every possible conceived risk that could be consturued or misconstrued is listed so if they get sued they can say, "We warned them." Safety warnings used to be helpful - now they are so exaggerated that the real safety issues are buried in pages of stupid stuff, to the point that people don't even read the warnings anymore. I remember working 2nd shift in a hydraulic valve plant when I was in high school - hands in solvent all shift long - I realized that I could taste the solvent as it soaked into my skin - and insisted on using some gloves. Today, that job would require a hood, solvent proof smock, respirator, and in the end the job goes overseas where such details are less important than the opportunity to earn enough to stay fed. There has to be a balance. There is a risk to everything - (I think about the conversation I had with someone complaining about chemicals in their food - I pointed out that water is a chemical - the stuttering indignation and illogical thought processes it evoked is sadly typical. ) Chlorine in drinking water is a proven carcinogen, yet I want it in my water. (Some idiot talked some people into a "safer" UV system and ended up killing a bunch of people - I think in South America) I think one of the worst examples of chemophobia has to do with lead. We know that the lead oxide that was used in paint is readily absorbed and toxic if ingested. Someone noticed that there was lead leaching from land fills and they banned lead from solder in the EU. First, the lead coming out of land fills was from a different safety mandate - they put lead in CRT glass as an xray shield. Next, where does lead come from? Lead ore in the ground is often in the oxide from which is smelted down to lead - (becomes safer (harder to absorb)). Then the lead is combined with tin (becomes safer yet). Then it gets buried again. The use of non-lead solders in electronics has cost the industry billions of dollars and the electronics are now not as reliable. Safety systems are exempted, but because of availability, unleaded parts have ended up in everything. But even a cell phone failing during an emergency can result in death. The no-lead ban - instead of 'saving lives' - is costing lives. I wish the bureaucrats would listen to the engineers once in a while. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Karl Schmidt EMail k...@xtronics.com Transtronics, Inc. WEB http://xtronics.com 3209 West 9th Street Ph (785) 841-3089 Lawrence, KS 66049 FAX (785) 841-0434 The lack of a middle class is a good indicator of how corrupt a government is. kps -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beautiful is writing same markup. Internet Explorer 9 supports standards for HTML5, CSS3, SVG 1.1, ECMAScript5, and DOM L2 & L3. Spend less time writing and rewriting code and more time creating great experiences on the web. Be a part of the beta today http://p.sf.net/sfu/msIE9-sfdev2dev _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
