Barium Nitrate

[Sparx88]

Been reading about toxicity of barium nitrate and would like to know what you all do to protect yourselves from it. I have a pending order with a pound of it and some other stuff , I really want to have green and it's spin offs to use this year.

[schroedinger]

Use Gloves, Ventilation (or outside), Normal protective gear (wash it after use, wouldn't use my normal washing machine, just rinse everything) and use a god fitting respirator, pref one of the charcoal type ones.

Also make sure to wash hands always when leaving your room.

 

If you look back a couple videos an ned's youtube channel, there is a movie where he spared out the respirator, so everybody could understand him better, a couple days later he was sick, and still is sure it wascause of the barium. Would have been better if would have used text for the parts where he worked with lose compowition or just do it with the mask

[boule]

Don't eat it, wash hands afterwards, work in a well-ventilated area where you don't handle food.....

[taiwanluthiers]

Why organic respirator for barium salts? Does it release any harmful vapor? I would think a dust respirator would be enough... charcoal filters are designed for organic vapor such as paint, or harmful gases.

 

I never got sick from making barium nitrate based compositions and that was without using a respirator. I wouldn't eat it of course...

 

If you want to be careful keep some magnesium sulfate (I think it's Epsom salt) around. It will render any and all soluble barium salts insoluble and therefore nontoxic.

[nater]

It is true that magnesium sulfate will react with barium nitrate to form the nontoxic barium sulfate. It would be unwise to undergo this treatment by yourself if you were to be suffering from toxicity from barium nitrate. It can help, but you will need more care and it is possible you won't even be in the condition to treat yourself. Acute barium poisoning is irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. The exposure also causes hypokalemia which results in potentially lethal cardiac dysrhythmias or respiratory failure. Treatment generally involves respiratory support when needed, potassium infusions and dialysis.

 

Here's the good news, not everyone is affected by barium the same way. Most exposure is minor, although most unpleasant. Proper ventilation, gloves, respirator and eye protection are a must when using barium nitrate, but you should be wearing those with most pyro chems anyway. I prefer an organic vapor respirator with HEPA filters due to the solvents and particle size of the chems we use. I've worn a simple dust mask and still noticed black boogers when working with airfloat charcoal. I would not want more hazardous chemicals to slip though a simple dust mask if I can avoid it.

Edited May 14, 2014 by nater

[schroedinger]

Why both, because the charcoal ones i know all incorporate a normal particle filter too, and the charcoal adds an extra filter. Also you don't have to change if you need solvents for binding.

Also the most partivle filters are just those easy dust nask, which often leave small air gaps between skin and the mask, thats ok ifyou are working with normal dusts, but i won't use them for poisonous stuff.

[nater]

Not two respirators, just a half face respirator with the appropriate filters installed. One respirator for everything, no need to switch.

[taiwanluthiers]

P100 filters for 3M respirators works well for filtering dust, much better than those paper masks. It's also comfortable enough that you can wear them all day.

[Sparx88]

Thanks everyone I preciate the heads up on that.

[Respirator]

I think all the required PPE has already been mentioned but exercise extra caution if your Ba(NO3)2 is in large crystals and requires intensive grinding or milling. Airfloat barium compounds are not something I would like flying around.

 

LD⁵⁰ is something around 355 mg/kg or 20 - 40 grams for the average person.

 

EDIT: Made myself heavier.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Respirator

[Mumbles]

I think you might have put the decimal in the wrong spot there. Try as I might, I'll never weigh 7kg again.

[nater]

Make that about 35-50g for the average pyro. Don't forget that is the ingested amount as well. That isn't a large amount, but would be quite a bit to inhale.

Edited May 15, 2014 by nater

[krakra]

Theoretically speaking, it is possible to avoid use of barium compounds at all. Barium is mostly used as colorant, and boron compounds can take this role. Boron carbide is commercially available in fine powder (it is abrasive material). I found several compositions, including very simple KNO3/B4C ~8/1 that reportedly burn bright green, and am going to purchase some B4C for testing. On the downside I doubt it is possible to mill boron carbide, it is reported to be a very durable material.

[pyrokid]

Boron is too expensive.

[Arthur]

The reason most compounds are selected in pyro has a lot to do with cheapness! Copper and caesium make blues, but Caesium is 100x more expensive than copper, hrnce you never see caesium blues.

 

One UK manufacturer was renowned for cheapening compounds with up to 20% wood flour.

[Mumbles]

Having had barium poisoning, I'll assure you it's not pleasant. I only use well fitting respirators now. Those paper filters, even the better ones just don't cut it. You don't need a charcoal filter organic cartridge, but it's typically what most people have around. They also feel more secure than just the particle cartridges to me.

 

Other that this one inhalation, I've never had a problem, even when working on 25+lb scales. Just wash up, change clothes and keep them separate, use gloves, etc.

[taiwanluthiers]

When you're mixing up and burning up 100's lbs of chemicals, of course price is a consideration.

 

The magnesium sulfate is still useful in the case of chemical spills, to at least render it safe in the environment.

[Respirator]

An important point to note however is the relatively high desnsity - 3.24 g/cm³ of Ba(NO3)2 which makes it almost 1.5 times as dense as aluminium. This means that it may actually take less than you think to poison, perhaps not lethal (6+ cm²), but poison your self to a "tension, vomiting, nausea" feeling. In contrast, the density of KNO3 is only 2.1g/cm³.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Respirator

[Peret]

Barium is about as toxic as lead, with the difference that it has more soluble compounds so it's easier to get poisoned. On the other hand, unlike lead, it doesn't accumulate in the body. If it doesn't kill you, you will eventually eliminate it and recover, though meanwhile it will make you want to go and lie down.

[Arthur]

Life as a pyro relates to keeping things separate and working cleanly. Keeping dust down and out of your lungs and mouth is important to staying alive long enough to see your work.

 

Clear bench away from food prep areas and a facemask or proper respirator should keep you safe. Don't touch your face with your hands, and wash thoroughly after working.

 

But remember that it's not coming out through the bottle!

[Sparx88]

Thank you all, good info. I was a little worried at first because some of the things I read made it out like it was uranium or something awfull like that. Still, dangerous enough I see so I will be carefull. Thanks again.

[nater]

It is hazardous, but fortunately it is an easy risk to manage.

[pyrojig]

I have been slightly poisoned by this salt before, but that was in my foolish years and not using a respirator while rolling stars in a enclosed area ( and breathing more dust than noticed). It is like getting the flu, and it makes your body feel out of it ,and tired. It is not a good thing to get in the sys, but as stated above , it is not a cumulative poison.

[psyco_1322]

Really, barium nitrate is not all that dusty. It's usually got a "moist" consistency, so you are not likely to breath any while just weighing things up. When it get's mixed into comps, especially things with charcoal, the entire comp gets dusty and it's easy to breath that in without proper PPE. Be smart, keep it clean, you will be alright.

[nater]

The problem I had with it, was when I broke off some chunks from a large piece without any PPE on, but outdoors. I quickly developed a bad headache and abdominal pain which lasted about a day. It was a pretty mild exposure, but something I do not want to experience again.