I know enough not to drink it or do anything else obviously silly
with it, but what else do you know that maybe i don’t? Fumes?
transdermal effects? Really, i don’t know much about it but i use it
from time to time, taking reasonable precautions.
Anyone?
marty
Marty,
I use to work etching copper with Ferric Chloride. Yes is is toxic!!!
It will burn your skin, lungs and anything else it touches. Always
wear goggles, apron, gloves and shoes that will not disappear, i. e.
leather. And don’t breathe the fumes. Always use under a vented hood.
Veva Bailey
I know enough not to drink it or do anything else obviously silly with it, but what else do you know that maybe i don't? Fumes? transdermal effects? Really, i don't know much about it but i use it from time to time, taking reasonable precautions.
As far as etchants go ferric chloride is one of the safest but, that
doesn’t mean it is something to treat casually. Anything that can
rapidly eat metal should be treated with some respect. Safety
glasses and gloves are a minimum level of precaution. If you are
going to handle the dry powder then you need to not get it airborne
as it is corrosive to breathe but once it’s mixed with water it is
not a significant fume producer. The MSDS gives all the gory details
but also says “Low toxicity in small quantities” and then goes on to
tell about damage from larger quantities.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
Yes. When wondering about the safety of chemicals, look up “MSDS” on
said chemical. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924033
There are quite a few chemicals used in Goldsmithing, that may appear
dangerous. I am not going to give recommendations on level of
precaution one should take. It is a personal decision. But it is
important to maintain a perspective. I received an email few days
ago, which I would like to share with everybody.
What’s in a McNugget?
I’ve always said that fast food tastes like putty. Turns out I’m not
far off, because one of the ingredients in Chicken McNuggets is also
found in Silly Putty.
I wonder if you can copy the funny pages by smashing a McNugget into
it. It’s certainly preferable to actually eating the things.
A recent CNN “investigation” – they read the ingredients label –
found that this Happy Meal staple contains dimethylpolysiloxane.
Listed as “an antifoaming agent,” dimethylpolysiloxane is also used
in Silly Putty and common cosmetics.
And if that doesn’t whet your appetite, McNuggets also contain a
petroleum-derived preservative called tertiary butylhydroquinone,
also known as tBHQ. A single gram of this stuff can cause nausea,
vomiting, delirium, ringing in the ears, the sensation of
suffocating, collapse and an overheated spell checker.
No wonder people feel like crap after they eat this junk!
Health officials claim these ingredients are safe if you eat them in
the small amounts used in food preparations like Chicken McNuggets.
But is that really a chance you want to take?
For the record, neither ingredient is essential to the integrity of
the McNugget – CNN found that they’re not used at all in British
McDonald’s locations, and I haven’t heard of any McRiots over there.
McDonald’s says the difference is due to local tastes – so
apparently, we Yanks enjoy the delicate flavors of petroleum and
Silly Putty. And for all I know, maybe we do. They can’t be much
worse than anything else on the typical fast food, canned goods and
frozen meals diet that has America in such great shape.
Having said all that, I have to admit: I’m impressed by the Chicken
McNugget. I wouldn’t put one near my mouth, but it’s an absolute
marvel of engineering – I counted 37 ingredients just in the
“chicken” and the “breaded” coating, and another seven ingredients
in the vegetable oil used to cook it.
They should put these things in a science museum, maybe blast them
off into space so other civilizations can see how advanced we are.
Just make sure they’re clearly labeled: DO NOT EAT.
Leonid Surpin
Here is a link for the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Ferric
Chloride:
It should answer many of the questions regarding toxicity, fumes,
etc.
Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Alliance, OH
Is ferric chloride toxic, yes. Is it corrosive, yes. Do you need to
take basic safety precautions (gloves, safety glasses, apron, etc)
with it, you bet. How does it compare to using a solution of
hydrochloric acid to etch the same material? The HCL fumes
constantly and etches/rusts everything in your shop. The
concentrations needed to etch with HCL will burn your skin if you do
splash it on you, with ferric chloride this is not the case although
it will definitely irritate the skin and skin contact should be
avoided. I use both for etching stainless steel and there are some
differences in the surface finish. The HCL leaves a much brighter
surface.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
McDonald's says the difference is due to local tastes -- so apparently, we Yanks enjoy the delicate flavors of petroleum and Silly Putty.
not just the mcnuggets. Ghod forbid we should ever have to consume a
tasty refreshing milk shake only to be shocked to find it actually
contains any of those nasty actual dairy products instead of nice
clean petrochemical synthetics…
Peter
They should put these things in a science museum, maybe blast them off into space so other civilizations can see how advanced we are. Just make sure they're clearly labeled: DO NOT EAT.
Ok Leonid, I LOVE chemistry lessons like this one. Very funny, very
true, and it’s scary what “They” claim is safe for us. 65 million
years from now they’ll probably dig these things up and make
cabochons from them.
Ray Brown