Couldn't Make This Up

[Bill Greenwood]

I didn't make this up, read it on a news release, assume it is true.
At Boston Logan airport a passenger took a suitcase through TSA that had a strange smell. Turns out to be a kind of natural rat poison the passenger was taking to Bejing, and it was made of camphor.

NO PASSENGERS WERE AFFECTED, BUT 15 TSA EMPLOYEES WERE EVACUATED AND 4 SENT TO HOSPITAL.

Who knew camphor was both potent and discriminating?

[steveinindy]

Ever seen the MSDS for concentrated camphor? It's not something you want to screw around with. It was originally used as an embalming fluid in Asian countries. In high doses, it can induce seizures and severely screw up your liver. In sensitive individuals (read as: asthmatics and COPD patients), the fumes can induce asthma attacks (technically bronchospasm for those of you playing along at home). It has such a narrow range between "useful" and toxic that it's largely been banned by the FDA since the 1980s and most of what Americans think of as "camphor" has little actual camphor in it. To give you some scale, 4 grams of camphor will induce lethal toxicity in your average adult. For comparison, an average paperclip weighs something around 1.25-1.5 grams.

-Steve, your friendly neighborhood former deputy coroner and all around encyclopedia of utterly useless medical trivia.

[Chris In Marshfield]

From funny to analyzed into toxicity in 2.6 seconds. ;)

[Dana]

Turns out to be a kind of natural rat poison the passenger was taking to Bejing, and it was made of camphor.

NO PASSENGERS WERE AFFECTED, BUT 15 TSA EMPLOYEES WERE EVACUATED AND 4 SENT TO HOSPITAL.

Who knew camphor was both potent and discriminating?

It was for "rat" repellent... I guess it worked...

God help the next passenger who boards after using Ben-Gay or Tiger Balm (both of which have camphor as an ingredient)...

[steveinindy]

From funny to analyzed into toxicity in 2.6 seconds. ;)

Hey....I have to be useful when I can!

[steveinindy]

God help the next passenger who boards after using Ben-Gay or Tiger Balm (both of which have camphor as an ingredient)

Actually only one form of Ben-Gay contains camphor. The "camphor" smell is actually due to menthol and methyl salicylate (a.k.a. oil of wintergreen; also a rather nasty chemical which is related to aspirin. A teaspoon of methyl salicylate contains as much salicylate as about 20-25 aspirin tablets and can produce toxicity if used overzealously).

[Joe LaMantia]

Steve,

I'm going to have another "talk" with my Mom, she used to rub my chest with "Vicks" and pin a piece of flannel to my T-shirt whenever I got a winter cold. That stuff might have killed me, or maybe caused some... brain damage! This might explain my recent problems with remembering peoples' names. You are a wealth of knowledge.

Joe
:cool:

[steveinindy]

You are a wealth of knowledge

That's putting it nicely. That said, I'm a heck of an opponent at Trivial Pursuit. LOL

When I was a kid, one of the running jokes was that if I were to do a cartwheel, it would sound like a bookshelf falling over. That was taken from the Encyclopedia Brown series of books, but one of my classmates pointed out that I seemed to have the ability to figure out almost any problem presented to me so long as it was just a matter of deduction or logic.

[Frank Giger]

That was taken from the Encyclopedia Brown series of books, but one of my classmates pointed out that I seemed to have the ability to figure out almost any problem presented to me so long as it was just a matter of deduction or logic.

Sadly, Steve would find this would be no help in later years when he began dating...

;)

[steveinindy]

Sadly, Steve would find this would be no help in later years when he began dating...

;)

Actually, you'd be amazed how well it served me once I hit that point in my life. There was a reason why I was the only guy at my high school who had a girlfriend who was in college.....

[rosiejerryrosie]

Actually, you'd be amazed how well it served me once I hit that point in my life. There was a reason why I was the only guy at my high school who had a girlfriend who was in college.....

All of which was soon overtaken by his natural humility.......
;)

[Joe LaMantia]

This started out as a serious thread, I keep laughing! Thanks Jerry, your makin my day.

Joe
:D

[steveinindy]

All of which was soon overtaken by his natural humility.......
;)

I am many things, humble is unfortunately not one of them. ;)

[Bill Greenwood]

Steve, my original post was supposed to be about humor more than chemistry.

[steveinindy]

Steve, my original post was supposed to be about humor more than chemistry.
I realized that after I posted initially. My apologies.

[rosiejerryrosie]

I am many things, humble is unfortunately not one of them. ;)

Yeah....we noticed...:D

[Joe LaMantia]

Bill,

I'm still laughing!

Joe
:cool:

[steveinindy]

Yeah....we noticed...:D

:P