Re: smoke sticks?

[Gordon Miller <miller22@llnl.gov>]

The best smoke tracer is titanium tetrachloride. Lab Safety sells it in
glass ampules which are in plastic squeeze bottles. Break the ampules and
the TiCl4 reacts with airborne moisture to form hydrogen chloride which
promptly forms a dense mist of hydrochloric acid droplets. The mist cloud
is the "smoke". Contact information:

LAB SAFETY SUPPLY INC
P. O. Box: 1368
JANESVILLE, WI  53547-1368
Info Ph: (608) 754-2345

Various companies sell smoke candles or smoke "bombs". The one I'm familiar
with is Hill. As I recall, they contain zinc chloride. In the smoke candles
that produce white smoke, the heating prompts the zinc chloride to form a
dense mist of hydrochloric acid. Hill also sells colored smoke candles, but
I don't know what they produce. Contact information:

E VERNON HILL INC
P. O. Box: 1516
BENICIA, CA  94510-4516
Info Ph: 707-747-5557

Draeger and MSA sell "smoke tubes". I believe they contain tin
tetrachloride which forms the de rigeur dense mist of hydrochloric acid
when air is sucked through it. This is commonly used to challenge HEPA
filter cartridge respirators in qualitative fit tests (no mistaking when
the fit isn't right!). Contact information:

MINE SAFETY APPLIANCES CO
P. O. Box: 428
PITTSBURGH, PA  15230
 Info Ph: 412-967-3000

A non-corrosive product is also available from Lab Safety, zinc stearate.
The cloud isn't nearly as conspicuous as the HCl acid mist from the various
chlorides, but it won't corrode apparatus or the respiratory apparatus.

For sheer massive visibility from a hand held controllable source, go with
the Lab Safety TiCl4. For sheer volume of smoke, use smoke candles.

Gordon Miller, CIH
miller22@llnl.gov

---------------------------

>We are looking for smoke sticks for Air Flow studies.  Our current ones
>put out more smoke than is convenient (sometimes hard to see which way
>the air is flowing when the entire room is filled).  We prefer ones that
>are clean room approved and easily accessible.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Wes
>
>Wesley M. Dunn, CHP, Director, Environmental Health & Safety
>International Isotopes, Inc.
>3100 Jim Christal Road
>Denton, Texas  76207
>Wdunn@intiso.com			Corporate Website:
>http://www.intiso.com
>940-484-9492; 940-484-0877 (fax)
>
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