Many of us have encountered hazardous and toxic substances in our lives, and some may even have died due to the fumes that emanate from them. This may be due to the specifics of work in some enterprises. But in order to protect yourself and your family from danger, you need to know exactly what are substances that are dangerous from a chemical point of view, and how to protect yourself from them.
AHOV: what is it?
An emergency chemically hazardous substance (AHOV) is a dangerous chemical compound that is used in industry or agriculture, if it enters the air or soil, infection can occur, and as a result, a negative effect on all living organisms begins to affect.
OXV is a compound that can, by directly or indirectly affecting the body, lead to its defeat or even death.
Today, hazardous substances are produced in large quantities around the world; in the Russian Federation, rescuers often encounter the most common compounds. AHOV can be in different aggregate states.
Properties AHOV
Hazardous substances have several basic properties: density, toxicity, solubility, volatility, viscosity, chemical properties and boiling point.
Density is the mass of a substance per unit volume. This indicator has a direct impact on the spread of toxic substances in the atmosphere and on the ground. If the substances are in the form of gas or vapor, then they are heavier than air, their concentration at the surface of the earth will be maximum and decreases with height. Liquid substances that have a density higher than that of water, after entering the reservoir, are at the bottom.
Solubility is another characteristic of AHOB; it indicates the ability to form solutions with other components. The toxic components dissolve well in water, they can infect water bodies so badly that they will not be suitable not only for use by humans and animals, but also for technical purposes. In addition, such substances can infect the soil, and to a sufficiently great depth.
This ability of hazardous substances ensures their rapid spread throughout all internal organs of the human body. In order to eliminate all hazardous components from water bodies, it is necessary to use solutions of degassing agents, and in order to eliminate poorly soluble compounds from water, it is necessary to use special disinfectants.
Volatility is the ability of a substance to transition into a vapor state. Highly volatile toxic substances at high temperatures have the ability to degass naturally. But volatility directly depends on what boiling point at atmospheric pressure and vapor concentration.
Viscosity is the property of substances in liquid form to resist the movement of some parts of the liquid relative to others. In addition, the absorption of the substance into materials with a porous structure depends on this parameter.
HOW Classification
The classification of chemically hazardous substances is one of the most important points, thanks to which in the future you can quickly react and help everyone who is in the infection zone. Hazardous substances by the degree of impact on humans can be divided into four classes:
- extremely dangerous;
- dangerous;
- moderately dangerous;
- low hazard.
But in terms of its amazing qualities, all hazardous substances are heterogeneous. As the main damaging effect, they often use the sign of the predominant syndrome, which occurs in the acute form of intoxication of the human body. Following from this, an accidentally chemically hazardous substance may belong to one of these groups:
- asphyxiating agents (chlorine, phosgene and others);
- common toxic (carbon monoxide) ;
- asphyxiating and generally toxic (nitrogen oxides, nitric acid, hydrogen fluoride, sulfur dioxide);
- choking and neurotropic (ammonia);
- poisons that affect metabolic processes in the body (ethylene oxide).
Characteristic
The characteristic of AHOV in physical properties is determined by such groups:
- substances in solid and granular form, volatile, which even at a temperature of forty degrees evaporate (granozan, mercury);
- substances in solid and loose form, non-volatile, which can be stored under any conditions (mercuric chloride, phosphorus, arsenic);
- volatile in liquid form, storage is possible only under pressure - this category of hazardous substances is divided into two subgroups: A - ammonia, carbon monoxide and B - chlorine, methyl bromide and others;
- volatile in liquid form, storage in special containers without pressure; include nitro and amino compounds, hydrogen cyanide, nicotine;
- acids that vaporize, including hydrochloric, nitric and others.
Where should hazardous substances be stored?
In order to avoid an involuntary release of chemically hazardous substances, it is necessary to strictly observe safety precautions when working with them, and be sure to store them only in special containers and rooms.
AHOV in large quantities are located in enterprises that produce or consume them. In chemical plants, they can be used as a source, intermediate, by-product or final raw material. Their stocks are placed in special storage facilities (up to 80%), they can be in equipment, vehicles, such as pipelines, tanks and others. The most common AHOVs are liquefied ammonia and chlorine. At some enterprises, tens of tons of hazardous substances are stored, and the same amount is transported by rail or pipelines.
All hazardous substances by combustion method can be divided into:
- incombustible;
- slow-burning;
- can burn only with constant feeding of this process;
- combustible;
- burn even after removing the source of ignition.
By AHOV can be attributed substances that pose a serious danger only in situations when accidents occur.
Types of AHOV
To date, the list of AHOV has not been developed, but there is a small list of substances that are often used in enterprises and if you do not store them in the right conditions, a chemical accident can occur. Today, one can distinguish 9 basic substances that pose an extreme danger to humans and the environment, among them most often chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, hydrogen fluoride.
The effects of AHOV on humans
A chemical accident can lead to the release of hazardous and toxic substances to humans in both air and water. All dangerous components can affect the human body in different ways and have different effects:
- Annoying effect. If it enters the skin, rashes and redness may appear, such substances include: phosphorus, chlorine, fluorine, hydrogen oxides.
- Cauterizing effect. Emergency chemically hazardous substances (AHOV) can cause burns of varying degrees of difficulty if they enter the respiratory system and the skin. Among such substances are ammonia and hydrochloric acid.
- Choking effect. If there is a large concentration of such substances in the air, then the result of their exposure can be asphyxiation, which further leads to death, phosgene and chloropicrin are referred to such substances.
- Toxic chemical effects. Such substances can badly affect the human body, cause severe poisoning, including such substances as arsenic hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, ethylene oxide, hydrocyanic acid.
- Narcotic effects. Substances belonging to this species, getting into the human body, begin to gradually destroy it, a person can no longer abandon the acquired habit on his own, and if no measures are taken, then in the end it can end in failure.
How to identify accidents with the release of AHOV yourself and is it possible to do this?
Signs of a chemical infection
A person himself can determine the release of chemicals on his own. There are a number of signs that should force them to take appropriate protective measures, or rather:
- the appearance of a cloud that gradually grows and has an unnatural origin;
- not very pleasant smells, including those that cause a feeling of suffocation;
- loss of consciousness in people and general malaise;
- panic condition;
- the rapid withering of trees and other vegetation, the death of animals and birds.
Protection Rules
All of the above signs of an accident with the release of AHOV should force a person not only to report a disaster, but also take protective measures on their own:
- urgently required to use protective equipment, including a gas mask;
- go down to the shelter or take refuge in the house by closing windows and doors;
- tightly with a cloth to close all the cracks in the house to prevent the leakage of hazardous substances;
- turn off all heating devices, because some substances tend to ignite spontaneously;
- respiratory organs must be protected by any means, you can use a towel previously moistened with a solution of soda.
Hazardous enterprises
Emergency chemically hazardous substance can most often be found at the enterprise, where it is used in production or, on the contrary, is produced. Such enterprises include:
- chemical, oil refining, petrochemical and other organizations working in the same direction;
- enterprises in the territory where refrigeration units are installed, and they use refrigerant - ammonia;
- treatment facilities that use chlorine.
All enterprises belonging to the category of hazardous are called a chemically hazardous facility (COO) in whose territory hazardous substances are stored, processed, transported or used. At such enterprises, an accidentally hazardous substance improper storage can lead to an emergency. Therefore, each employee must undergo safety precautions and know exactly what to do if a harmful substance suddenly leaks out.
Protecting the public from chemicals
Chemicals and hazardous objects pose a serious threat not only to the environment, but also to humans, therefore, in this case, chemical protection should be undertaken to help eliminate or reduce their impact on the population and personnel of the enterprise, reduce the scale of the consequences of the accident.
All activities related to chemical protection should be carried out in advance, and not at the time when the accident has already occurred. With all employees of the hazardous enterprise and residents of nearby areas, they carry out activities that can protect against the effects of AHOV:
- systems are created and subsequently used to control the chemical situation in hazardous areas;
- warning systems are installed;
- plans are being developed to eliminate a chemical accident;
- purchased in sufficient quantity and stored in full readiness of protective equipment;
- special shelters are maintained in readiness, where chemicals and dangerous objects do not penetrate. Must monitor their willingness to accept people in the event of an accident;
- all measures are taken to protect food, food raw materials, water;
- the readiness of the RSSCh forces to eliminate the consequences of chemical accidents is ensured.
If suddenly an accident has occurred, and there are victims, then in this case everyone who works in a dangerous enterprise should be able to provide first aid.
First aid for poisoning AHOV
It is possible to provide effective assistance in cases of AHOV damage only if the characteristics of chemically hazardous substances are immediately known. The correct determination of what the victim’s body was poisoned with will help to quickly respond and provide first aid, which most often consists in carrying out such measures:
- stop access of OM to the body (put on a gas mask or cotton-gauze bandage, go beyond the affected area);
- remove poison from the skin as quickly as possible;
- if possible neutralize toxic substances;
- eliminate the leading signs of damage;
- to prevent complications and the necessary therapy.
Conclusion
As it became clear from the article, there are many dangerous substances in the world and you can’t do without them, but only safety measures and safety precautions will help to avoid accidents. If nevertheless this did not succeed, then in this case it is possible to save the lives of people and animals only thanks to the quick response and the use of all existing protective measures.