M OLLOID ίή ORNER
SAFETY Meeting Uranium Safety Standards A E C says m a n y u r a n i u m mines a n d mills still exceed r a d i o a c t i v i t y e x p o s u r e limits set to protect workers
LINKS IN THE MILLI-MU WORLD Colloidal carbon particles a r e m e a s u r e d i n t e r m s of m i l i i - m u — o f m i l l i m i c r o n s . T h e r e a r e 30 g r a d e s of colloidal c a r b o n s . Some have a w a y of l i n k i n g — f o r m i n g c h a i n s of v a r y ing" d e g r e e s of complexity. Some of them don't.
ELECTRICAL ELASTIC T h e u s e of c e r t a i n t y p e s of colloidal c a r b o n s in r u b b e r p r o v i d e s links by which s t a t i c e l e c t r i c i t y m a y be c o n ducted a w a y . O t h e r t y p e s go i n t o electrical r e s i s t o r s . L o n g - c h a i n a n d complex l i n k a g e s p r o v i d e r i g i d i t y in r u b b e r ; a n absence of c h a i n s p e r m i t s r e a d y flow in i n k s .
JL UK A T O M I C E N E R G Y C O M M I S S I O N is
giving the uranium industry a complete physical exam to find out whether it is radioactively healthy, says director Jesse O. Johnson of t h e commission's r a w ma terials division. And, a s its ailments c o m e to light, he adds, the industry must follow the doctor's orders for treat ing them. T h e doctors orders: Meet the radiation standards for uranium mines and mills set u p in AEC" licensing regulations a n d in the laws of uraniump r o d u c i n g states. Since AEC established r a d i u m and uranium exposure limits for mine and mill workers i n 1957, it has b e e n sur veying t h e industry. But, in spite of t h e s e checkups and repeated notices t o t h e industry, Mr. Johnson says, many u n d e r g r o u n d u r a n i u m mines and most
mills still lack adequate dust collecting systems in their dry sections. They also need better hygiene procedures. • Mines. Mr. Johnson advises the mines they must improve ventilation in all their working areas. He says con ventional equipment usually is all that is required to reduce the concentration of radon and its daughter products to acceptable limits. Some mines—espe cially those working higher grade de posits—Mr. Johnson adds, may have a harder time complying because they do not have enough shafts or other open ings to the surface. • Mills. AEC inspections show dis posal of waste products—effluent liquors and tailings—as the major problem in uranium mills, according to Mr. John son. He says effluent liquors must not
COlVSfVlUNiCATiNG CARBON I n the m a n - s i z e d world a s in the m u world, colloidal c a r b o n s a r e h i g h l y versatile contributors to communica tions. T h e y provide ultraviolet protec t i o n f o r t e l e p h o n e cables. T h e y p e r m i t h i g h -speed r e p r o d u c t i o n of s h a r p l y defined m e s s a g e s in p r i n t i n g . T h e l i s t of a p p l i c a t i o n s of t h e m a n y t y p e s of C o l u m b i a n colloidal c a r b o n s w i t h controlled c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s goes on a n d o n . S o m e w h e r e , one of t h e m fits i n t o your i n d u s t r y , may solve a p r o b l e m f o r ijou. I f so, c o m m u n i c a t e ! U s e t h e colloidal c a r b o n in y o u r s e c r e t a r y ' s typewriter ribbon!
COLUMBIAN CARBON COMPANY 3 8 0 Madison Ave., N e w York 17, Ν . Υ. DEPT. A
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ν Six Injured in German Chemical Plant Explosion This wreckage shows t h e violence of an explosion in one of the textile plants of Farbwerke Hoechst in Frankfort, Germany. T h e blast occurred in a large reaction chamber w h e r e a color chemical w a s being processed. Three workmen were badly burned in the explosion, a n d three others were injured less seriously. Cause of the accident was not known.
SULPHUR Spotlighting t/ienëwTUS itecovery- Jtaartt atOKQTOKS
OKOTOKS
OKOTOKS marks another step in the steadily broadening service being developed by TGS for industries in the States and Canada. Production from OKOTOKS, sitting on top of the vast "sour gas" field a few miles south of Calgary, Alberta, will add a significant tonnage to the supplies of Sulphur already available through TGS to the expanding industries in the Pacific Northwest. OKOTOKS is set up to make shipments of Sulphur in solid or molten form.
TEXAS GULF SULPHUR COMPANY 75 East 4 5 t h S t r e e t , N e w York 17, Ν. Υ. 8 1 1 Rusk Avenue, H o u s t o n 2 , T e x a s
Sulphur Producing Units: Newgulf, Texas · Spindletop, Texas · Moss Bluff,Texas Fannett, Texas · Worland, Wyoming Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
SAFETY
What's New in
'Baker Analyzed' Reagents The J. T. Baker Chemical Co. is pleased to announce the addition to its line of some further m e t a l , oxidation-reduction and acid-base indicators. The complete line is listed fc>elow. Metal Indicators note offered by J. T. Baker include: 1482 1952 1954 2716 8994 3351 0300 0364 4123 4125 4236
Caicon Dithizone Eriochrome Black Τ Murexide PfcN Pyrocatechol Violet Salicylic Acid Suffosalicyiic Acid Thiourea Thorin Zincon
Oxidation-Reduction hidicators nowoffered by J. T. Baker include: 0995 1944 1947 2696 8458 3680 4230
Barium Diphenylaminesulfonate, Reagent Diphenylamine, Reagent Diphenylbenzidine, Reagent Methyl Red. Reagent o-Phenanthroline, Reagent Sodium Diphenylaminesulfonate. Reagent Variamine Blue Β Hydrochloride, Reagent
Acid-Base Indicators now offered by J. ΊΓ. Baker include: 0939 1758 2694 2696 2705 2706 2746 2870 0276 4129 4132
Azo Violet, Reagent Crystal Violet, Reagent Methyl Orange, Reagent Methyl Red, Reaeent Methyl Violet, Reagent Methyl Yellow, Reagent Neutral Red, Reagent Phenolphthalein, Reagent Picric Acid, Reagent Thymol Blue, Reagent Thymolphthalein, Reagent
These J. T . Baker indicators can be ordered from y o u r fa-vorite J . T. Baker l a b o r a t o r y s u p p l y distributor.
J.T. Baker Chemical Co. / ^ ~ \ \
JX. Baker
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Phillipsburg. New Jerse^v
OCT.
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19 5 9
be allowed to contaminate surface and underground water supplies. One an swer to this problem, he points out, comes from research done at AEC's Winchester, Mass., lab. This work shows that using a barite treatment after neutralizing the waste liquors may effectively reduce their radioactive con tent. Handling the tailings is more difficult, though, Mr. Johnson reports. While only a small amount of the radium in ore is dissolved during processing, he says, the radium that remains in tailings is slowly water soluble, as is also the radium absorbed in barite. This indi cates, he believes, that in the absence of a chemical treatment that would make the radium insoluble, tailings must be stored in a way that prevents water per colation as well as erosion. Precipitat ing the1 slimes by adding lime and proper spreading of the slimes in the tailings dam. he says, should minimize percolation. Modern wet process uranium mills should have no trouble maintaining safe conditions for workers, according to Mr. Johnson. Proper dust collecting sys tems at the ore crushing and yellow cake sections, he says, should bring dust levels within AEC limits. And good housekeeping and hygiene will prevent ingestion while eating and drinking. External radiation presents only minor problems, h e adds, because the low level radiation from both crude ore and uranium concentrate is not considered dangerous under normal working condi tions. Mr. Johnson reported the status of safet> standards in the uranium indus try to the American Mining Congress last month in Denver. Colo.
• National Spectrographs Laborato ries, Cleveland, Ohio, has developed a new automatic unit that constantly monitors amounts of toxic materials in the air. T h e instrument is actually a compact spectrographic lab, mounted on wheels, the company says. It checks an air sample in 70 seconds, compared to an hour in the lab, and records the data on a strip chart and meter. • Monobrcmotriftuoromethane is twice as effective as any other extin guishing agent against liquid fuel and electrical fires, says the Army. It has adopted the chemical for emergency
use at all A r m y installations. The Army now uses monobromotrifluoromethane in a quart container with a special nozzle t h a t discharges the fluid in 10 to 12 seconds. But it is also test ing 15- and 50-pound containers. Eventually, it says, these three con tainers will replace 14 sizes used with carbon dioxide a n d carbon tetrachlo ride. Monobromotrifluoromethane will prevent fires, too, reports the Army, when it is mixed with helium or nitro gen to create a combustion-free atmos phere. Fireguard Corp., Northbrook, 111., produces t h e chemical for the Army. • The Manufacturing Chemists' Asso ciation has published safe handling pro cedures for diethylenetriamine. The new safety data* sheet covers proper ties, hazards, employee safety, handling and storage, t a n k cleaning, waste dis posal, medical management, and first aid. Copies a r e available, 30 cents each, from the association, 1825 Con necticut Ave., >J.W., Washington 9, D. C. • Phillips Petroleum is using magenta and yellow plastic rope as a safety bar rier at the Atomic Energy Commis sion's Reactor Testing Station, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Wall Rope Works, New York, X. Y., m a d e the rope in the radia tion danger colors using Marlex low pressure process polyethylene. • The Institute
of industrial
Health,
University of Cincinnati, offers a course in industrial e y e problems during the week of Jan. 18, 1960. Its objective: to enable industrial physicians to recog nize significant eye pathology, under stand the limitations of persons with defective vision, and perform basic eye examinations. Physicians interested may apply to t n e institute, Kettering Laboratory, Cincinnati 19, Ohio. • American Viscose has published a new pocket-sized safety manual for use by all its personnel. It presents realistic safety practices for accident prevention, especially geared to plant activities. • Cities Service Oil Co. and its subsid iaries will compete this year for the new W. Alton Jones Safety Awards. The company with the best safety rec ord will receive an award a t the end of the year. Another award will be kept permanently by the company that wins it most frequently during a fiveyear period.
