The Butcher Gas

This time we are going to understand more about the methyl isocyanate,

the gas which is ill known to be associated with Bhopal gas tragedy. There is

abundant data in the media about political aspects, administrative shortcomings

& corporate negligence which led to the unfortunate massacre. I intend to draw

your attention to the scientific details of the very gas, Methyl Isocyanate or MIC.

MICMethyl

isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound with the molecular

formula C2H3NO, arranged as H3CN=

C=O. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane,

methyl carbylamine, and MIC. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in

the production of carbamate pesticides (such as carbaryl, carbofuran, methomyl,

and aldicarb). It has also been used in the production of rubbers and adhesives.

As a highly toxic and irritating material, it is hazardous to human health, and wasinvolved in the Bhopal disaster which killed nearly 8,000 people initially and


approximately 17,000 people in total.

Sources and Potential Exposure

· No information is available on the levels of methyl isocyanate is ambient

air or water.

· Occupational exposure to methyl isocyanate may occur for those workers

who use insecticides and herbicides produced from methyl isocyanate.

Few known exposures to the general public have occurred.

· Methyl isocyanate has been detected in cigarette smoke.

Health Hazard Information

Acute Effects :

· In 1984, in Bhopal, Union Carbide gas leak of methyl isocyanate resulted

in the deaths of more than 2,000 people and adverse health effects in

greater than 170,000 survivors. Pulmonary edema was the cause of deathin most cases, with many deaths resulting from secondary respiratory


infections such as bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia.

· Other effects noted from acute inhalation exposure to methyl isocyanate in

humans are respiratory tract irritation, difficulty breathing, blindness,

nausea, gastritis, sweating, fever, chills, and liver and kidney damage.

Survivors continue to exhibit damage to the lungs (e.g., bronchoalveolar

lesions and decreased lung function) and the eyes (e.g., loss of vision,

loss of visual acuity, and cataracts).

· Animal studies have reported pulmonary edema, upper respiratory tract

irritation, respiratory lesions, and weight loss from acute inhalation

exposure to methyl isocyanate.

· Acute animal tests in rats have shown methyl isocyanate to have extreme

acute toxicity from inhalation exposure and high acute toxicity from oral

exposure.

Chronic Effects (Noncancer):· CalEPA has calculated a chronic inhalation reference exposure level of


0.001 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) based on lung and body weight

effects in rats. The CalEPA reference exposure level is a concentration at

or below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur. It is not a

direct estimator of risk but rather a reference point to gauge the potential

effects. At lifetime exposures increasingly greater than the reference

exposure level, the potential for adverse health effects increases.

· Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is extremely toxic. The threshold limit value set by

the American Conference on Government Industrial Hygienist was 0.02

ppm (the threshold value indicates exposure to the particular substance in

question should not excedd that value. Otherwise it becomes a cause for

problematic health hazards)

· MIC can damage by inhalation, ingestion and contact in quantities as low

as 0.4 ppm. Damage includes coughing, chest pain, dyspnea, asthma,

irritation of the eyes, nose and throat as well as skin damage. Higher

levels of exposure, over 21 ppm, can result in pulmonary or lung edema,

emphysema and hemorrhages, bronchial pneumonia and death.· Although the odor of methyl isocyanate cannot be detected at 5 ppm by


most people, its potent lachrymal properties provide an excellent warning

of its presence (at a concentration of 2–4 parts per million (ppm) subject's

eyes are irritated, while at 21 ppm subjects could not tolerate the presence

of methyl isocyanate in air).

· Proper care must be taken to store methyl isocyanate because of its ease

of exothermically polymerizing and its similar sensitivity to water. Only

stainless steel or glass containers may be safely used; the MIC must be

stored at temperatures below 40 °C (104 °F) and preferably at 4 °C (39 °

F).

· The toxic effect of the compound was apparent in the Bhopal disaster,

when around 42,000 kilograms (93,000 lb) of methyl isocyanate and other

gases were released from the underground reservoirs of Union Carbide

India Limited (UCIL) factory, over a populated area on December 3, 1984,

immediately killing thousands and leading to the deaths of tens of

thousands in subsequent weeks and months.

Reproductive/Developmental Effects:· After the Bhopal, India, accident, an unusually high percentage of


survivors had disorders of the reproductive system, including leukorrhea,

pelvic inflammatory disease, excessive menstrual bleeding, and

suppression of lactation.

· Other adverse effects included increases in the number of stillbirths,

spontaneous abortions, and increased infant mortality.

· Animal studies have reported increased incidence of fetal deaths and

decreased fertility, live litter size, fetal body weight, and neonatal survival

following inhalation exposure to methyl isocyanate during pregnancy.

Cancer Risk:

· In a study in which animals were exposed once by inhalation, no tumors

were significantly associated with methyl isocyanate exposure in mice and

female rats; male rats had marginally increased rates of tumors of the

pancreas.· EPA has classified methyl isocyanate as a Group D, not classifiable as to


human carcinogenicity. Although, it is not clear if MIC is one of the

triggering agents that cause cancer.

Looking ForwardAfter

24 years it has clearly become a judicial tragedy (with all due respect

to Judicial System) which hurts more than a gas tragedy since it attacks our

collective consciousness. It becomes very important that we ensure installation

of all safety & security measures in the potent threatening establishments.

Whether we like it or not, primary focus should be given on installation &

constant upkeep of security mechanisms, training of employees than on having

maximum foreign direct investment. FDI/ FII is welcome but not at the cost of

indigenous lives. We got to have it clear that while passing Nuclear Liability Bill,

we fix the responsibility on defaulters. I can see a ray of hope in the way

government wants to review the Bill.

Next time we will read about what US media calls as Obama’s 9/11 that is

Mexico gulf oil spill. Do write to me in the mean time. You can read some of my

previous articles on my blog

Indian Climategate

What The Indian Version of Climate Gate Doesn’t Mean….

 

Climate gate: An Introduction

There is a saying in the people these days that if anything has changed after the much awaited Copenhagen Conference for sure, it’s “CLIMATE”. The conference is over without legally binding restrictions on developed economies to cut the emissions. But in this buzz of doing something about the changing climate, there have been serious & credible claims made which shake this belief to its core. We simply can’t afford to turn our blind eye towards these claims. Nonetheless these objections have been made by reputed scientists & have been confirmed by no other than Dr. Pachauri himself. He had admitted that there hasn’t been scientific study in order to conclude such facts so confidently. Yes, I am certainly talking about the fiasco over the reports of melting of Himalayan Glaciers.

Scientific Facts-

In a 2007 report, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the Himalayan glaciers are very likely to disappear within three decades if the present melting rate continues. But a statement from the panel now says there is not enough scientific evidence to back up those claims. The warning in the report "refers to poorly substantiated estimates of rate of recession and date for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers," the IPCC said. "In drafting the paragraph in question, the clear and well-established standards of evidence, required by the IPCC procedures, were not applied properly”..
The U.N. panel did not give a new estimate of when Himalayan glaciers might melt away, but said "widespread mass losses from glaciers and reductions in snow cover over recent decades are projected to accelerate throughout the 21st century."
This will reduce the availability of water and change the seasonal water flows in major mountain rangers, including the Himalayas, it said.
The U.N. climate change panel said "the chair, vice-chairs, and co-chairs of the IPCC regret the poor application of well-established IPCC procedures in this instance."

These images & studies conducted by Dr. Vijay Kumar Raina, clearly show that Gangotri glacier melt only a dozen meter per year between 2004-08, & since September 2007 it hasn’t receded at all!!
Next case study he presents in front of us is about Siachin Glacier. Which-according to his studies-is completely stable & hadn’t receded at all…!!!



What This Doesn’t Mean….

Now, there is a tricky situation in front of us. In the backdrop of Nobel winning reports being proven wrong & unscientific, we face a challenge of whom to trust. I know that in the scientific world, this won’t create much debate as it would in common public. I am afraid that this event would conceive a much larger vacuum regarding CLIMATE CHANGE data in public. Certainly, a lay-man would tend to think that even after the emissions of so many pollutants & (what is popularly known as) Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere, our glaciers haven’t receded too much, then how true is this so called climate change? This is exactly what I mean when I say there will be created a vacuum in public. Moreover, there is no dearth of CLIMATE SKEPTICKS funded by giant oil companies to manipulate data & show how climate change is a big lie or a joke (exception of scientific reports made by dedicated scientists who are in pursuit of nothing but the knowledge).
So, to ensure our priorities (as human species) don’t change too much regarding our commitment to minimize (at least) climate change, we must remind ourselves the wrath of destruction we have brought to this world.

1. Find IUCN lists & every time there has been addition of new species which are either threatened or extinct. Thousands of species of plants, birds, mammals, & god only knows how many species of insects have been destroyed by us.
2. Check the meteorological observations & find how erratic the weather has turned. Why go away, check our monsoon records & you will notice how real this climate change is.
3. Check out any credible data on how the underground water levels have depleted because of increased pumping coupled with less precipitation.

Now, these are only three factors which are changing so severely that they are already affecting our lives. Remember last time you saw a bird (say a Sparrow even) in your area. How many days ago?? How many?? It is just a common bird I am referring to, there are thousands of bird species which are about to see their last sunrise on this planet.
There are much larger changes occurring in climate across the globe, more than meet the eye. So, this is the perspective I want to stress that we should not change our priorities simply because a part of a report has been exposed for its inconsistency with scientific facts. Because, as a species, we are too young to understand what is at stake. On a geological time scale we are on this planet for about a last 1 second & it’s about to 12.00 mid night.

We will talk more about our efforts to minimize this change next time when we will learn about bio fuels.

How to make Biodiesel

How to make biodiesel-

1. Take 1 liter of peanut oil. It can be easily bought from the grocery store.
2. Take 200ml of Methanol, or ethanol.
3. In this methanol, add 5.5gm of Sodium hydroxide/ NaOH (Or 7.6gm of Potassium hydroxide/KOH.
4. This is exothermic process i.e. it will generate heat, so be careful, protect your eyes, & skin. Allow this mixture to settle-down for a while.
5. Then add this mixture slowly into the peanut oil. Addition should be done carefully. Don’t let the oil bounce up violently.
6. Give little bit of heat & shake the oil.
7. Within 15 minutes, you will observe clear liquid at the top of oil…that’s your biodiesel.
8. Also you will get glycerin & whitish layer of soap.

Your biodiesel is ready!!

Welcome to the future

Welcome to the Future

                      This year India witnessed one more drama unfolding in Lok Sabha Assembly when finance minister was presenting annual financial statement of the nation. Yes, I am precisely talking of the walk-out staged by the opposition who were upset by proposed fuel price hike in the budget. You & I can argue & discuss on how should be the behavior of opposition parties, how better they can play the role of responsible opposition, & so on. But, that’s not the point I am trying to arrive at. I want to draw your attention to the vulnerability of our nation- or any nation, for that matter- to the impact of fuel prices. Indian economy could have well withered the worst financial crisis of the century but, no one-absolutely no one- is safe from the impact of fuel prices. Any rise in the fuel price by the OPEC, oil companies rush to the government for the subsidies, government has to spend money for arriving at the common good for all, other prices hike subjected to the laws of economics & you & I just sit wondering about what the heck is wrong with the market prices.

                         If this is the picture no matter in which country you are in, I think we are running out of time to find replacements- partial or total- to the conventional fossil fuels. There are various replacements available in the lab & in the market as well. I’ve specifically chosen this opportunity to discuss two major things with you. I believe that these 2 issues have potential to fuel our economies in the near future. There are lots of such replacements available under the title called NON CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES. Amongst them, these 2 sources will form a part of your futuristic life-style in the future not too far. They are-

1. Biofuel
2. Hydrogen Economy

                   I’ll be dealing with pros & cons of these things, their availability, efficiency & cost effectiveness. In the meanwhile, I’ll also teach you how to make a biodiesel at home. So, let’s proceed with biofuels.

• Biofuel-

                   For the love of science, I’ll give the definition first- biofuels are those fuels, which are derived from the biological origin. One thing to be understood very clearly is that, you can’t just fill you fuel tanks with biodiesel directly. Chemically, this diesel is made up of fats, which can accumulate into the bore of the engine & clog it off totally. So, you mix it with conventional diesel. Optimum performance (also known as sweet-point) is obtained if you mix it with conventional diesel in 80-20 ratio i.e. in 1 liter diesel, 800ml normal diesel & 200ml biodiesel. How many liter of biodiesel will be obtained is dependent upon what is the source to obtaining biodiesel, method of extraction, & scale of production. You can extract biofuel mostly from plants & from algae (commonly known as Shaival, in Marathi or Hindi) also. There are different generations of biofuels based on their source & type. From here on, unless specified, biofuels will be regarded as biodiesel. These are as follows-

1. 1^st Generation biofuels-

• These are the most primitive - so to say- forms of biofuel.
• This biofuels is prepared from the edible seeds of. E.g. Peanut.
• The oil produced from these plants is referred to as the Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)
• Method of production of biodiesel is mentioned in the attachment.
• Apart from biodiesel it gives us glycerin & soap.
• As far as the cost efficiency is concerned, this biofuel is inefficient if you are only after producing biodiesel. But if glycerin & soap are sold to the cosmetic industry, business becomes profitable.
• One interesting case study, I would like to submit here, that is Kokan Krishi Vidyapeeth has successfully produced biodiesel at the cost of Rs. 7/ liter.
• Problem with this kind of biodiesel is that, practicing production of this biodiesel would give rise to some socio-economic tussle as to what to use the available cultivable land for- whether you want to cultivate peanuts so that your people can feed on it or whether those peanuts are to be produce to obtain diesel & some cosmetic raw material stuff.

2. 2^nd Generation biofuels-

• To overcome the socioeconomic problem, scientists have come out with another type of biofuels.
• This biofuel is prepared from seeds of non-edible plants e.g. Jatropha.
• Such plants can grow on barren lands with minimum water requirement.
• Method of production is similar to that of 1^st generation of biofuels.
• Disadvantage of both these types of biofuels is for the cultivation of the plants, we need huge amount of land to be under cultivation. Now, we have limited piece of landmass which can be brought under cultivation. Therefore, new kind of biodiesel source was proposed.

3. 3^rd Generation Biofuels-

• This category of biofuel is generated from algae.
• Every living cell has got lipid vessels into them which are finished product of fats/ fatty acids after digestion process. Tiny algae are no exception to it.
• These algae are abundant in nature. You must have noticed a green colored slimy layer near the water body. There you are that’s what the algae are.
• These can grow in variety of habitats ranging from fresh water body to marine/ oceanic habitats.
• These algae are collected, dried, & then their structure is literally broken down by applying a physical force or using ultrasonic sound to rupture the cell structure.
• There are lot of processes need to be done to reach to the final product.
• Lot of R & D is going on to reduce the cost of production of this type of biofuel & to evolve some cheaper though efficient methods of production.
• Now, one more scientific perspective that needs to be high lightened is any plant (even algae) consumes atmospheric CO₂ when it is growing, we are making biodiesel out of it &burning it into our engines which spits out smoke essentially consisting of CO₂. Thus, we aren’t going GREEN!! That’s what the root cause to lots of problems this world is facing. So, there is one more generation produced to overcome this problem.

4. 4^th Generation Biofuels-

• In this category, algae are genetically modified in such a way that their diesel, (when burned) produces less amount of CO₂ than the amount which the algae consume in its lifetime.
• To make it simpler, assume that an alga -genetically modified-is consuming say 10 units of CO₂ in its lifetime. Then, when we obtain diesel & burn it out, it release say 6 units of CO₂. Remaining 4 units are utilized for the metabolic processes of alga.
• Therefore, this biodiesel is “CARBON NEGATIVE”
• This kind of biodiesel is in a research mode as of now but when it would make its appearance on the commercial scale, it would totally revolutionize the concept of DIESEL.

• HYDROGEN ECONOMY-

                         This is one more energy-efficient & clean concept in which role of Hydrogen is envisaged as a fuel which can run your cars, lighten up your electricity appliances, & so on. In short, Hydrogen is considered to run the entire economy, by replacing conventional fuel sources.

                         Hydrogen can be obtained from electrolysis of water. In this process, water (H₂O) is split up into Hydrogen & Oxygen. This hydrogen can then be stored with proper care & can be utilized as a fuel as & when required. Mercedize has already introduced their car & bus powered by Hydrogen. What are the emissions? Nothing else than tiny water droplets.

                       Only odd thing with Hydrogen is that, for the electrolysis (i.e. Electrical splitting of water) we need energy & this would again come from conventional DIRTY energy sources. Nonetheless, we still eliminate factor pollution from the combustion engines, so this is still a good concept.

Cursed biological magic

Cursed Biological Magic

Dear friends,

                       I am aware that I was unable to produce some good article for you in the previous issue & I am deeply sorry for that. I was actually working on a topic, which is of course this month’s topic for my article, which is so complex & yet so essential that I wanted you all to know about it. That’s why I took my time to simplify it for you. So, here’s that bizarre topic called “Biotransmutation”.  Without much discussion I’ll straightaway start explaining it.

Essential Chemistry-         

                       For understanding the topic you don’t need to be a rocket scientist. Your basic chemistry will help you understand that Reactants A & B work together in such a way that they generate Products C & D. Now, in this transformation, the total mass & energy is conserved meaning mass of A & B put together equals that of C & D, same is true for the energy.  Before moving further, a look at the atomic structure will bring you more closer to the core issue of the topic.

                     We know that the atom, fundamental hero of every movie called “Chemical Reaction”, is made up of positively charged buddies namely Protons, neutral Neutrons & negatively charged Electrons. Out of them protons & neutrons are sitting in the nucleus region happily while electrons are continuously encircling the nucleus.

                      Till here, everything goes peacefully. But here on rules of the game change. Now each proton is supposed to harbor not just these 3 subatomic entities but each one of the atom needs to make sure that in its outermost orbit there are either 2 or 8 electrons present. Any atom that doesn’t possess 8 electrons in its outer shell is barred from entering in the party of STABLE ATOMS. So, every atom either tries to donate the electrons to some other needy fellow, or share the electrons so that it can safely join the club of stable atoms.

The concept-

                      A biological transmutation is defined as a nuclear transmutation occurring in a living organism. Such transmutations are strongly believed not to occur according to mainstream physics, chemistry and biology, however proponents of the hypothesis claim to have empirical evidence that they do. Louis Kervran claims to have conducted experiments and studies demonstrating phenomena such as anomalous increase in calcium and decrease in magnesium levels during the synthesis of egg shells and anomalous excretion of magnesium. He formulated the biological transmutation hypothesis as an explanation. For example, one of the claims is that biological organisms can transform Potassium into Calcium via the addition of one hydrogen nucleus: K₃₉ + H₁ = Ca₄₀. None of the fissioned elements would be travelling at high velocity since biological organisms lack any mechanism to do this. The environment would not have neither high pressure nor high temperature since no biological organism could survive the required pressure and temperature, not even for extremely short periods of time. This amounts to having a nuclear fusion reaction in a low energy environment, which would go against basic physic laws.

                  Louis Kervran (1901- 1983)

Opposition-

                          Since these anomalies are not observed by mainstream science the foremost challenge to these claims is that the evidence is flawed. The "anomalous" evidence is either the result of experimental error or intentionally falsified. Even if the evidence was reliable the biological transmutation hypothesis does not fit within mainstream theory. According to current models nuclear reactions, such as transmutations, requires large amounts of energy per particle. The required energy density is far larger than the energy densities manipulated by known molecular biology systems which function of the scale of chemical reactions. In addition, known nuclear reactions produce ionizing radiation, which has not been detected and would be damaging to biological systems.

                           Orthodox physicists say that all chemical reactions are subject to physical laws, and biological reactions are also chemical reactions, thus they are subject to the same underlying laws of physics. Orthodox chemists say that these transmutations go against the laws of orthodox chemistry. The current evidence for transmutation is not convincing. This is what I call the curse to this wonderful phenomenon. If transmutation was ever reliably proved and replicated, then a paradigm shift would happen, and all natural sciences would have to be changed to adapt to the new evidence. Scientists laboring in alternatives fields like biological transmutation have the hope that one of the basic principles of physics happens to be wrong, and that their works causes such a paradigm shift, giving them personal fame, and advancing the scientific knowledge by a huge degree. In 1993 Kervran was awarded an Ig Nobel prize due to his "improbable research" in biological transmutation. The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think".

Conclusion-

                          The work on this phenomenon is not so nascent. Scientists began meddling with it right from the 17 century. On the scientific websites, & journals you would find many articles & references related to this mechanism. As I’ve already mentioned, the problem with this topic is the absence of convincing amount of evidences. But I think it is in our nature that while dealing with the hard facts of science, we sometimes tend to be so stubborn. We are so reluctant to be open-minded & might just miss the open secret, science wants us grab. I don’t know how much I’ve been successful in conveying this topic to you. You may not even get a thing of my article. But at the end of the day I would be more than happy if a little bit of respect is generate in your mind about a scientist- Louis Kervran- who worked so hard throughout his life & whose work was totally ignored labeling it to be a Pseudoscience (theories put forth claiming to be scientific but are not scientific at all, fake science).

                         Well, with the progress of the nuclear & radioactive physics, new experiments are coming up to prove this so called pseudoscience. I am happy to claim that I am also involved in one such experiment. I don’t know if it will succeed or not. Nonetheless, it gives me immense pleasure to work on one of the greatest mysteries in the science. Task is so herculean that our efforts might just fall short but they will definitely pave the way for future work in this field. That’s all from me this time…!! Your doubts & questions are welcome.

damodarpujari88@gmail.com