There is a 200 word minimum response required for each question.
Credible reference materials, including your course textbook(s), may be used to complete the assessment.
Question 1: The DOT regulation at 49 CFR 174.450 previously stipulated that when fire occurs in a domestic rail shipment of charcoal in transit, water should not be used if it is practicable to locate and remove the burning charcoal. Any charcoal that becomes wet while a fire is being extinguished must be removed from the car and not reshipped, and the remaining charcoal must be held under observation in a dry place for at least 5 days before forwarding. What is the most likely reason DOT regulates the domestic transportation of charcoal in this fashion? What chemical reaction is involved here?
Question 2: When sulfuric acid is a component of polluted air, it chemically attacks statues, memorials, and monuments made from limestone. Given that the most common mineral in limestone is calcium carbonate, describe how these limestone objects are corroded by the sulfuric acid in polluted air. What chemical reaction is involved here?
Question 3: Oleum or fuming sulfuric acid available commercially in concentrations ranging from 20 to 99.9% sulfur trioxide.
A. What is the percent by mass of sulfur trioxide (SO3) if oleum is expressed as 3H2SO4 . 5SO3? Show your solution.
B. Discuss at least three potentially hazardous features associated with concentrated sulfuric acid.
Question 4: The paint formerly used on some storage tanks contained aluminum powder, which reflected heat from the surface of the tanks. Why did experts recommend grounding these tanks and storing only noncombustible material in them? Why is the installation of an automatic sprinkling system recommended in machine shops that use lathes to fabricate titanium parts? Be specific.
Question 5: Acetyl chloride is a colorless, fuming liquid used primarily in the chemical industry.
a) How is acetyl chloride produced? If 915 gallons is produced and shipped, will DOT require the carrier to display the FLAMMABLE placard? Explain your answer.
b) When there is a bulk spill of this chemical, why is it necessary to prevent the liquid from entering nearby streams and lakes?
Question 6: Why are active on-duty firefighters likely to experience the adverse health effects from inhaling 300 ppm of carbon monoxide faster than nonactive off-duty firefighters who inhale the same concentration of the same substance? Explain your answer using the chemicals/process involved.
Question 7: Upon responding to a 2:00 a.m. domestic transportation mishap, your hazmat team determines that a liquefied compressed gas is leaking from a 5lb (2.3 kg) steel cylinder. The chemical commodity is described on the relevant shipping paper as follows: 5 lb RQ, Compressed gas, flammable, toxic, n.o.s. (POISON - Inhalation Hazard, Zone B). How would you identify, and what is, the radius of the initial isolation zone and the magnitude of the each side of the protective-action zone associated with the release of this substance? How would you handle the response, and how would you determine the proper type of PPE to be used in this incident? What type of PPE would you recommend?