Slight concern with an open container

[Steve_Pfost]

This may sound silly but I just realized I left my used chemical milk jug OPEN from when I tossed my fixer and stop bath about two - three weeks ago. It has been sitting open all this time. Should I be concerned at all about any issues from escaping fumes from that jug? Should I be concerned about anything?

I keep the jug in my basement work room, which also has some mason jars for canning on the shelves, and it is also next to my children's basement play room that has their toys in it, and an area where we keep some pots pan and kitchen items. I just opened up all the windows in the basement to give a good air out.

I know I'm being an over cautious father but I figured I needed to ask.

 

[css9450]

I thought surely this would be a thread about drinking and driving!

 

[Godfrey]

This may sound silly but I just realized I left my used chemical milk jug OPEN from when I tossed my fixer and stop bath about two - three weeks ago. It has been sitting open all this time. Should I be concerned at all about any issues from escaping fumes from that jug? Should I be concerned about anything?

I keep the jug in my basement work room, which also has some mason jars for canning on the shelves, and it is also next to my children's basement play room that has their toys in it, and an area where we keep some pots pan and kitchen items. I just opened up all the windows in the basement to give a good air out.

I know I'm being an over cautious father but I figured I needed to ask.

I presume B&W chemistry. Stop is just a dilute solution of acetic acid, fixer contains sodium thiosulfate, sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite, maybe a potassium aluminum sulfate hardener and a little something like boric acid to buffer it. Fixer that has been used over and over again for many rolls of film up to the exhaustion level may also have a bit of metallic silver. The worst that can be said of leaving the top off the bottle is that it will stink up the place... Basically, unless they splash their hands in it or drink it, it's not going to hurt them or anything else other than your sense of smell. 😀

Don't worry about it ... dump it and air the place out to get rid of the stink.

BTW: This is not true for a lot of color processing chemistry, which is generally made of much more caustic stuff. That said, most of the nastier color chemistry (I remember cibachrome chemistry as being particularly nasty) is designed so that when you mix it together to dump it, the various parts of it combine to go inert and unharmful, at neutral pH levels.

G

 

[willie_901]

Everything's OK

Everything's OK

1. When the temperature and pressure are assumed to be constant, fume exposure depends on surface area and volitility. The milk jug opening is small, so it is reasonable to assume the fume exposure was very low.

2. The most volitle substance in your used chemical jug is water. Most of the fumes would just be water vapor.

3. Vinegar is ~ 4% acetic acid by mass. We consume acetic acid in low concentrations. At 10 ppm air concentration eye, nose and throat irritation occurs. Since you don't mention anyone with these symptoms, it is reasonable to assume there was insignificant exposure to acetic acid.

4. Sodium thiosulfate is used medically to treat cyanide poisoning and skin eruptions due to fungal infections, ring worm and chemotherapy side effects. It is extremely unlikely anyone would suffer ill-effects from trace amounts of sodium thiosulfate.

5. Sodium sulfite is used a a preservative for dried fruits. Some people are allergic to sodium sulfite. If allergy is irrelevant, sodium sulfite in low concentrations is harmless.

6. Sodium bisulfite is a mixture of sodium sulfite salts. It is a food additive. (see above).

7. Potassium aluminum sulfate a common ingredient in medicines, nutitional supplements and baked goods.

8. Boric acid is used in a burn antiseptic, in anti-fungal ointments and anti-bacterial medicines. It is also widely used as an over the counter non-toxic insecticide.

 

[ellisson]

1. When the temperature and pressure are assumed to be constant, fume exposure depends on surface area and volitility. The milk jug opening is small, so it is reasonable to assume the fume exposure was very low.

2. The most volitle substance in your used chemical jug is water. Most of the fumes would just be water vapor.

3. Vinegar is ~ 4% acetic acid by mass. We consume acetic acid in low concentrations. At 10 ppm air concentration eye, nose and throat irritation occurs. Since you don't mention anyone with these symptoms, it is reasonable to assume there was insignificant exposure to acetic acid.

4. Sodium thiosulfate is used medically to treat cyanide poisoning and skin eruptions due to fungal infections, ring worm and chemotherapy side effects. It is extremely unlikely anyone would suffer ill-effects from trace amounts of sodium thiosulfate.

5. Sodium sulfite is used a a preservative for dried fruits. Some people are allergic to sodium sulfite. If allergy is irrelevant, sodium sulfite in low concentrations is harmless.

6. Sodium bisulfite is a mixture of sodium sulfite salts. It is a food additive. (see above).

7. Potassium aluminum sulfate a common ingredient in medicines, nutitional supplements and baked goods.

8. Boric acid is used in a burn antiseptic, in anti-fungal ointments and anti-bacterial medicines. It is also widely used as an over the counter non-toxic insecticide.

Valuable information for all of us working with these specific chemicals routinely in our film work.

 

[willie_901]

Valuable information for all of us working with these specific chemicals routinely in our film work.

Thanks.

I forgot to repeat one of Godfrey's warnings wear gloves when handling these chemicals. Have absorbent materials on hand in case of a spill.[1]

Here's a link to one of many kits