With the advent of such a line of human activity as space rocket research, the question arose of ensuring its environmental safety. And the main problem in this area was the safety of rocket fuel (heptyl) of the direct process of launching rockets and space technology into orbit. On the second question, environmental safety problems for the planet's biosphere are foggy and distant. But as for the toxicity of heptyl rocket fuel, there are no questions. Its indirect and direct toxic effects are proven. This is what will be discussed in this article.
Asymmetric Dimethylhydrazine
This is what heptyl rocket fuel is called, whose formula is C 2 H 8 N 2 . It is a component of high boiling rocket fuel. The hypergolic substance (self-igniting when mixed) for dimethylhydrazine is nitric acid or nitrogen tetraxide (N 2 O 4, amyl).
Heptyl rocket fuel is an almost colorless, slightly yellowish liquid with a pungent odor, which is typical for amines (organic derivatives of ammonia). Heptyl smells like rotten fish, but you shouldn’t smell it - the fumes are toxic.
Heptyl rocket fuel mixes well in water, alcohols, petroleum products and other organic substances. Moreover, an aqueous solution of heptyl is many times more toxic than its vapor.
Heptyl rocket fuel: characteristic
Its boiling point is plus 63 ° C, and its freezing or crystallization is minus 57 ° C.
The density of heptyl is 790 kg / m³. A mixture of hypergolic substances amyl / heptyl - rocket fuel, which gives an easy start to the rocket engine and the possibility of reusable inclusion.
Dimethylhydrazine has the properties of hygroscopicity (absorption of moisture from the atmosphere), which reduces the specific thrust of the engine, and, accordingly, its efficiency.
Heptyl rocket fuel (hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen) when combined with hypergolic amyl (nitrogen and oxygen) gives a violent reaction and ignites.
In addition, this fuel is resistant to the environment and can be stored for many years in the soil.
Creepy poison
Heptyl rocket fuel is classified as hazard class 1 according to the World Health Organization classification. The substance is 6 times more toxic than hydrocyanic acid, and has many factors affecting the human body: mutagen, carcinogen, teratogen (effect on fetal development).
In the environment it has the property of cumulative (accumulates) in living and non-living objects. When heptyl is oxidized, a substance is formed 10 times more toxic than the original one - nitrosodimethylhydrazine.
The maximum allowable concentration of heptyl in water is 0.02 mg / l, in the soil - 0.1 mg / l. Vapors are dangerous at very low concentrations.
What is dangerous for the biosphere
Testing of heptyl as fuel for intercontinental space rockets in the Soviet Union began in 1949. It is still used today for Proton launch vehicles.
When such carriers are launched, the spent stages (first and second), where the fuel reserves are located, are discharged to the fall areas (special sparsely populated areas). And this is about 500 kilograms of fuel. Since 2003, this discharge occurs at a high altitude, and the fuel undergoes oxygen oxidation with complete decomposition to simple substances.
But upon landing and further destruction of these objects, local soil contamination with heptyl occurs. Poisonous nitrosodimethylamine is already forming in the soil. And then it can fall into groundwater.
What to do
In addition to soil contamination in places where carrier stages fall, there is also the problem of spilled fuel in rocket refueling areas. Besides the fact that it enters the soil, it enters the atmosphere in the form of an aerosol.
And there are also places where heptyl rocket fuel is produced (Gazprom company, Salavat) and its losses during transportation.
And if everything is complicated with aerosol heptyl, then you can collect spilled heptyl. And such technologies are developed by chemists.
One way is to remove the topsoil and rinse it with supercritical carbon dioxide concentrations. But in practice, a simpler method is used - filling the contaminated area with gasoline and burning. In this case, the soil was destroyed, and the combustion products scattered in the atmosphere.
But that's not all. There are more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of heptyl, but they are expensive and time consuming. And it is with this problem that environmentalists are fighting today.
Yaroslavl incident
All questions about the dangers of heptyl are not put up for discussion by the general public. And confirmation of this is the case in Yaroslavl, which occurred on the night of February 1, 1988. Then, almost on the bridge over the Volga, a railway tanker with hundreds of kilograms of heptyl overturned, which spilled onto the ground. Fortunately, the fuel did not enter the river and did not ignite.
The cordon zone was 500 meters, a kindergarten and a school fell into it. Residents of nearby houses were evacuated. At the same time, the population was informed that a poisonous substance was spilled, but no one knew that it was heptyl.
The contaminated soil was then cut and transported to burial grounds. All 12 liquidators of the accident were hospitalized.
Poison is poison
On the territory of Russia there are 20 areas of missile crashes with a total area of 60 square kilometers. However, only in the last decade, work began on the study of the effects of heptyl rocket fuel on humans. However, already today there is evidence that in places where rocket stages fall, congenital disability in children is many times more than the national average.
This poison can enter the human body by water and air, food and contact routes. At the same time, getting on the skin, after 30 seconds it is already in the bloodstream.
There are no antidotes for this poison, as well as specific medicines.
Collateral damage
In addition to heptyl itself, hazardous toxins for humans are the oxidation products of heptyl and amyl, namely:
- Nitrosodimethylamine. 10 times more toxic than heptyl.
- Tetramethyltetrazene. Substance 3 groups of danger, affects the respiratory tract and skin.
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). Very toxic, can cause degeneration of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, necrosis of the liver, kidneys and brain.
- Nitric oxide (NO). The hazard class of gas is third. It affects the respiratory and circulatory organs.
- Carbon Monoxide (CO). The compound that binds erythrocyte hemoglobin with the conversion of its carboxyhemoglobin is a stable form that leads to oxygen starvation of all organs and tissues.
- Hydrogen cyanide or hydrocyanic acid. Substance 1 hazardous substance. Very toxic poison that penetrates the skin. Intoxication is accompanied by suffocation, up to a fatal outcome. At low concentrations, there is a sensation of scratching in the throat, a bitter taste in the mouth, difficulty speaking and coordination, an acute headache, an upset gastrointestinal tract, and an accelerated heart rate.
- Formaldehyde. A substance with a pungent odor, even in low concentrations, leads to damage to the mucous membranes and general toxic damage to the nervous system, kidneys and liver, and the organ of vision.
Intoxication of the body can take place in acute and chronic form.
Most vulnerable organs
Heptyl adversely affects all organs and systems of the human body. At the same time, its following effect is manifested:
- Neurotropic (damage to the central and peripheral nervous system).
- Hepatotropic (abnormalities in the liver).
- Hemolytic (disorders in the quantitative and qualitative composition of blood).
- Skin-resorptive (damage to the skin and mucous membranes).
Heptyl has a sensitizing effect, the properties of a weak allergen and an immunosuppressive effect on the human body.
Of particular note is the teratogenic (embiotropic) effect of heptyl, which manifests itself in a decrease in fetal weight, the appearance of anemia, and enlarged ventricles of the fetal brain.
Heptyl has a carcinogenic and mutagenic effect on the human body.
Acute poisoning
Acute poisoning has three degrees:
- Easy. It manifests itself in catarrh of the upper respiratory tract and mucous membranes, dyspepsia, weakness, headaches. Changes in liver function, leukocytosis, and other blood disorders may be observed.
- Average. With this course, symptoms of laryngotracheitis, bronchitis, emphysema appear. Conjunctivitis, gastritis, and polynephritis develop. The cardiovascular system suffers - tachycardia and aortic hypertension develop.
- Heavy. Symptoms are increasing, pneumonia and pulmonary edema, internal bleeding. From the gastrointestinal tract, erosion of the passageways increases. Hypotension, myocardial dystrophy, diencephalic encephalopathy appears. Collapse and shock are possible. Renal appears (up to toxic hepatitis) and liver failure. Lethal outcome is possible. In this course of intoxication, even after treatment, residual effects in the form of autonomic dystonia, organic lesions of the central nervous system, hepatitis, ulcerative phenomena in the gastrointestinal tract, and nephropathic phenomena may persist.
Chronic heptyl poisoning
This condition develops with prolonged exposure to small doses of poison. Symptoms are manifested in weakness, fatigue, headaches, irritability and sleep disturbances. Pain may appear in the liver and kidneys, in the region of the heart, and a violation of its rhythm.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia, microorganic lesions of the central nervous system are detected. Disturbances in the liver are manifested by an increase in the level of bilirubin in the blood.
Carbohydrate and fat metabolism are disrupted in the liver tissues, a deficiency of vitamin B6 appears, significant changes in the endocrine system.
The long-term consequences of heptyl poisoning can be disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, ulcerative phenomena in the stomach and intestines, deep liver damage (antitoxic, excretory and protein-forming functions), various encephalopathies.
Summarize
Back in the 50s of the last century, Ray Bradbury wrote his story “Golden Apples of the Sun”, in which the main idea boils down to the fact that human exploration of outer space brings unprecedented benefits. It will be so, but if the campaign for these benefits does not destroy our earthly home. Not to mention the death of its inhabitants. I want to believe that the cosmic "apples" will be tasty and healthy, and their flesh will not have the aftertaste of toxic heptyl rocket fuel.