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New Compound Quickly Disables Chemical Weapons
sciencehabit writes: In 2013, the Syrian military allegedly launched sarin gas rockets into a rebel-held town, killing hundreds. After diplomats brokered a deal to eradicate the weapons, international organizations began the dangerous job of destroying them. One roadblock to chemical weapons disposal is that heat and humidity quickly break down enzymes that can disable the deadly chemicals. Now, researchers have developed a highly stable compound that can inactivate nerve agents like sarin in a matter of minutes.
I wonder if it could be distributed globally. I mean like an epi pen or even in a sensor in a subway that would automatically use the stuff if sarin or some other chemical gas is detected.
The destruction of intact chemical weapons is not very hard, you just need a hot incinerator. It's a little more complicated than that, but there are incinerators that are made to do this (IIRC one was deployed to Syria on a ship a few years ago to do this).
But, if what they are really talking about is decontamination of areas where these weapons were deployed, that is a much harder problem. You can't just rinse this stuff off because that just moves the problem. You have to got to chemically break down the chemical. If you have lots of masony and textiles contaminated, forget it, you'll need to kill that with fire too.
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I wonder if it could be distributed globally. I mean like an epi pen or even in a sensor in a subway that would automatically use the stuff if sarin or some other chemical gas is detected.
Yes, this should be a top priority, along with installing a titanium shield on everyone's house, just in case they are hit by a meteor. We can fund these programs by reducing spending on silly frivolities like vaccinations, nutrition, and literacy.
The destruction of a chemical weapon is rather trivial, when you can conveniantly dunk the toxin in a vat of acid, or base, or solvent or whatever. Dioxins burn really well, for example.
The sticky bit is stopping it from entering people via their skin or lungs, eyes, etc. when the toxin is already dispersed.
In short, this wonderful new compound is utterly useless.
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This one weird trick, discovered by a housewife, breaks down sarin gas in just minutes a day!
#DeleteChrome
I don't know abut a top priority or taking funds from other programs but I think it is reasonable to have some level of protection should this turn out to be cheap and easily administered. We already have chemical sensors in subways after the Tokyo incident, we also already have fire suppression systems. The chemical sensors were in the works ever since the subway in Tokyo in 1995 and rushed into service after 9/11. It's been expanding ever since.
It's not like it would be a major retrofit or some sort of extensive project to have something like this neutralizing agent around so it could be deployed should a sensor go off. It's likely to be brought in or something similar to it after an evacuation if a sensor goes off anyways. If it's cheap and easily deplorable, what is the harm?
OR...a titanium dioxide shield on your house, to raise its albedo and counteract your family's carbon footprint:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEH...
Summary says: "Syrian military allegedly launched sarin gas rockets".
It is not that obvious who used chemical weapons. We have evidence rebells used sarin
The destruction of a chemical weapon is rather trivial, when you can conveniantly dunk the toxin in a vat of acid, or base, or solvent or whatever. Dioxins burn really well, for example.
Maybe, but spraying acid everywhere is not really a viable decontamination strategy. This catalyst is not for destroying stockpiles, but for helping with decontamination. Previously they were using an enzyme that is hard to deploy, and they've replaced that enzyme with an engineered catalyst that does the same chemistry, albeit less efficiently. Hopefully it will get better with further refinement.
So, they already had a way. But it was "hard". And now they have another way but it is "less efficient" (i.e. probably costs more). How is any of this news?
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considering how one of the reasons is in the article description.
Because it is *new* and promising and interesting. No one claimed *perfect*.
It's a common lament on /. but if you don't want to hear about stuff until it's on the shelves in your local store stop wasting time reading /. and other information outlets, else stop whining when you get an early heads up.
Really.
Tell me what potential life-saving breakthrough *you* made today, please.
http://m.earth.org.uk/
Can this technology be used on farts and BO? If so it could actually contribute more to world peace than neutralising Sarin Gas ever would.
I wonder if it could be distributed globally. I mean like an epi pen or even in a sensor in a subway that would automatically use the stuff if sarin or some other chemical gas is detected.
Yes, this should be a top priority, along with installing a titanium shield on everyone's house, just in case they are hit by a meteor. We can fund these programs by reducing spending on silly frivolities like vaccinations, nutrition, and literacy.
Or you could spend less on the gas masks you have currently in all major subway stations, such as in Seoul. Not everyone of us lives as far from the enemy as you do.
Hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, etc ...
The first and crucial step was high-temperature hydrolysis with sodium hydroxide. The remaining soup is harmless enough to be dumped.
There is nothing "potentially life-saving" about "clean up on aisle two".
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Someone slips on a clear liquid, whangs their head on the store shelf on the way down, then has their head impact the nice hard floor. Person dies.
Or, a parent slips on the unseen liquid and falls on their three year old walking next to them, snapping the kids neck and crushing them under the falling weight.
Yes, clean up in aisle two can be potentially life saving.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Nice troll.
The clean up we are actually talking about would be measured in micrograms.
I come here for the love
And yet we already have the chemical sensors in place and more being installed. But lets ignore all that for some stupid reason that amounts to you basically thinking you know it all and sit on our hands when something could be cheap and easily integrated into existing systems and possibly save lives or lowers suffering from effects. But hey, you know it all right?
And low costs equals low costs. Did you see the word "if" in my statement or did you blind yourself jerking your knee so hard trying to reply that you know it all? Perhaps if a dispersal system was implemented, you wouldn't need to get raped as much when going to the airport or accosted so much in the subways. Perhaps you enjoy that jack booted security and don't want to lose it.