13 May
2013
13 May
'13
5:59 p.m.
On 05/13/2013 12:56 PM, Jim Stephens wrote:
If it has been contaminated by an organic, or an acid
+ organic, and
that is mixed in, the big deal. If it is purely metallic and you have
sense enough not to swallow it, or lick your hands after you handled it
then swallow, then less of a risk than if you get to one of the salts.
it is nasty stuff with neurons, and it could be confirmed today whether
you did yourself in with exposure, because it is forever, it is one of
the things that accumulate in your body for life. Certainly a mass spec
analysis, or a heavy metal assay of your cremains would tell that and
other metals as far as whether they were in your body. Other tests may
hurt if it is done earlier.
I remember the very tragic case of Karen Wetterhahn's unfortunate
encounter with dimethyl mercury.
But isn't it a pretty good rule that most organic compounds of heavy
metals are pretty nasty? Lewisite and tetraethyl lead come to mind...
--Chuck