From: TERRY KING, 101522,2625
TO: Philippe Monnoyer, INTERNET:philippe.monnoyer@fundp.ac.be
DATE: 04/03/96 23:22
RE: Copy of: Ammonium Dichromate
Phillippe
I apologise if my reaction to your comments on silver nitrate were out of
proportion. As you say people who do not work with chemicals every day do
over-react.
The difficulty is that their ignorance can also be frightening.It is easy to
make mistakes oneself. I have caught students smoking while cleaning a silk
screen with highly voatile thinners for example.
I find the safest way to avoid accidents is to instill a sense of discipline
rather in the manner of the army. An unthinking reaction of 'danger' this is a
chemical, I must stop and think'.
I do this by deliberately over stressing the danger.
I put my reply to you on the list because we are having the same done to us with
the dichromates.
Where is the evidence that ammonium dichromate in oxidation state six is
carcinogenic. How much can we trust that evidence and how significant is it.
With the lack of evidence available to me I can only conclude that someone is
guilty of irresponsible scare mongering.
We all need hard evidence with a sound assessment of its significance.
Could the chemists on the list tell us where the papers are, what they are, and
give us a risk assessment.
The situation at the moment is thoroughly unsatisfactory.