My questions are how long these persist in the air (half-life) and how much of each. Here's my quick research:
From :
Vinyl Chloride in the Environment
- Vinyl chloride can be released into the environment (mainly the air) during its production or use. In the air, it is degraded by reaction with photochemically-generated hydroxyl radicals; its half-life is about 1–2 days.
- Liquid vinyl chloride evaporates easily. Vinyl chloride in water or soil evaporates rapidly if it is near the surface.
- Vinyl chloride can migrate to groundwater. In anaerobic groundwater, degradation occurs slowly.
- Vinyl chloride is also mobile in soil and susceptible to leaching.
- Vinyl chloride does not accumulate in plants or in animals.
:
The physico-chemical properties indicate that hydrogen chloride released into the environment is distributed into the air and water. Hydrogen chloride can react with hydroxyl radicals to form chloride free radicals and water and its half-life time is calculated as 11 days
. Fuuuuck.
The half-life for phosgene's reaction with hydroxyl radicals in air, however, is estimated at 44 years, and the hydrolysis pathway in air is sluggish, resulting in the potential for phosgene to persist in the atmosphere.
:
By means of a variety of analytical techniques, the combustion profile of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) has been determined. This profile includes flame temperatures, soot content, and a combustion gas analysis. Depending on the amount of VCM-air premixing prior to combustion, the temperature of a VCM flame ranges from 950° to 1466°C. Similarly, the soot or unburned carbon content of a VCM flame varies from 3 to 6 weight percent. An analysis of the combustion gases from VCM reveal the following composition: HC1 27,000 ppm; CO2 58,100 ppm; CO 9500 ppm; phosgene 40 ppm; and VCM trace. From a hazard standpoint, the gross quantity of hydrogen chloride is the main source of danger in a VCM fire.
So at least it doesn't produce a lot of phosgene compared to HC1 (with half-life of 11 days).
It’s far worse than that. This wasn’t a controlled combustion, it was a pit dumpster fire. Also, it was mixed with other chemicals . What your get is a literal shit ton of random chemical reactions partially combusting In a way too to rich environment. Hence the black cloud of smoke bigger than some small countries.
I’m no chemical engineer, but I’ve seen the chaos from random chemical spills create all sorts of nasty shit no one could predict and none of them could say exactly what was being produced.
I don’t care about CO2, acid rain is short lived and then soil neutralized, but many of the more exotic chemicals created and catalyysed by heat and fire will live on in the air and soil for a long time. That’s the toxicity, that’s the cancer, that’s the hormone disrupting and odd deaths and health issues that will manifest and persist for years to come.
My only answer is to not be there when it came through, and then continue not being under that cloud, and don’t eat produce or animals from that area.
They definitely won't mislabel products as not being from the area when they actually are...
I forgot the water. Water will absorb much and this will take up to 30 years to soak into the water table and come back up in well water everywhere that cloud passed. The local area is beyond fucked for 50 years in my opinion.
Except as a bottled water company site that sells only to the government.
thanks
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