From: "Frazier, Alicia" <afrazier**At_Symbol_Here**PPG.COM>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Need a consulting organic chemist on safety issue
Date: December 3, 2012 11:15:08 AM EST
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <17BC6B41F6704E4BBD07DFB5B75E664F0538BC5CFD**At_Symbol_Here**LFKMBX01.ds.dep.nycnet>

This is the best suggestion that I have seen, use a screen shot in the back ground for the feet (at worst it would only have to be shot once or twice not repeated use.) Isn't it common to use things like that as part of theater these days?
If you are looking for a credentialed consultant, have you considered calling a friendly Industrial Hygiene Professor? A quick search of ABET accredited Industrial Hygiene programs showed Hunter College of the City University of New York as having an IH program.

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Lipsky, David
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 2:13 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Need a consulting organic chemist on safety issue

What theatre production is this? Remind me not to go. Maybe they could find flesh colored nirtrile booties to fake dipping fake feet in the fake blood. Or go virtual and fake: fake-dipping, fake feet in fake blood by using a TV or movie to simulate the act of faking.

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Paul Harrison
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 2:26 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Need a consulting organic chemist on safety issue

Monona, once again, just as we thought we had seen it all, you bring us news of someone who has managed to create a new low in health and safety in the workplace. And I thought that was the exclusive purview of us academics... wrong again!

While this all sounds like a nightmare, here is a suggestion just in case your clients decide to go ahead with their experiment in measuring human infection rates.

How about bromine? Like most, I use chlorine in our pool, but pool shops also carry "bromine" i.e tablets that release bromine; it is used when people are allergic or react to chlorine, and is apparently effective as a sterilizer. I would reason that bromine is a less powerful oxidant than chlorine, and so the red dyes might be more stable and oxidized less, or less fast. No idea if this will work, just a suggestion.

Best,
Paul

On Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:10:00 -0500
ACTSNYC**At_Symbol_Here**CS.COM wrote:
Once again I'm hoping you all can find someone who can help with a
problem that would cross a Rabbi's eyes.

A famous theater in NYC is planning a production in which people will
wade through a 1500 gallon pool of "blood" a few times a week for about 6 weeks.
They've been doing some tests on a mixture of commercial stage blood
diluted 1:10 with water. Since stage blood is made with a lot of
dyes, corn syrup, propylene glycol and methyl parabens, and since
diluting it will cause the parabens to fail, and since they will be
using this over many weeks at 90 o F and regularly introduce the
living organisms from a bunch of feet, they thought they could used
pool chemicals (mostly sodium dichloroisocyanurate) to keep it from functioning like a giant petrii dish.

However, in their "tests" the amount of chlorine just doesn't get up
to a safe level. I'm not surprised since dyes are high nitrogen
compounds, there are organic chemicals presents, etc.

I'm also concerned that the dyes are fading with the chlorine
application and breaking down. That means there may be small amounts
of some really toxic stuff in there.

This is beyond me. I can help with the dyes, but they need someone
who can figure out more about the chemicals likely to be created in
this soup and if we need to look in a completely different direction
for a solution to this problem.

I'm taking names and suggestions from one and all.

Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A.,
industrial hygienist
Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
and
Safety Officer,
United Scenic Artist's, Local USA829
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes (IATSE)
181 Thompson St., #23
New York NY 10012-2586 212/777-0062

artscraftstheatersafety.org

Paul Harrison
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology McMaster University
1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1, Canada
Phone: (905)525-9140 ext. 27290; FAX: (905)522-2509

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