for more info, try asking this in sci.chem


wrote in message
...
Is burning copper dangerous?
I am asking because I was camping and tossed some copper dust in the
fire to make the flames colorful. The flames were really nice, but
some drunken guy in the next camp was having a fit about it, saying
that burning copper emits dangerous fumes that when breathed are toxic
and of course, according to him, ALL the smoke was going his
direction. I told the guy to either get lost or to call the police on
us, and they would settle it. (since he was the one that was drunk,
and we were not, I knew that would be fun). Anyhow, I just wanted to
ask and find out if there really is any truth to his claim. (The
idiot packed up and left in the morning, which was great for us,
because we got rid of the moron and had a bigger camp).
.

The warning label from my copper" Rainbow Flame Crystals" "Warning
containg Copper Sulfate Avoid contact with eyes or skin , if swallowed
give milk or water and contact Physician. For eyes flush with water get
medical attention. Avoid inhalation of fumes and prolonged exposure"

Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

Burning many products will harm you, CCA treated wood can permanantly
poison you with heavy metal. Copper is a poison, Copper sulfate is
dangerous in powder and likely burnt, as metals will not burn up
completely at low campfire temps, mearly they are airborn.

You are an ass hole camper, camping is to be fun and enjoy the
outdoors, not having people pollute through noise, abuse or pollution.
Whether or not your product afected him he was inteligent to be worried.
So he was happy and drunk and a nice guy, and you ruined his vacation. I
hope you are proud you moron. You are lucky he wasnt a murderer, he
would have had a defence.

wrote in message
.. .
Is burning copper dangerous?
I am asking because I was camping and tossed some copper dust in the
fire to make the flames colorful. The flames were really nice, but
some drunken guy in the next camp was having a fit about it, saying
that burning copper emits dangerous fumes that when breathed are toxic
and of course, according to him, ALL the smoke was going his
direction. I told the guy to either get lost or to call the police on
us, and they would settle it. (since he was the one that was drunk,
and we were not, I knew that would be fun). Anyhow, I just wanted to
ask and find out if there really is any truth to his claim. (The
idiot packed up and left in the morning, which was great for us,
because we got rid of the moron and had a bigger camp).
.

You bring up an interesting point...

Ever been to a fireworks show? Often you can smell the gunpower (and
the other chemicals that are used in their manufacture when they
explode).

These are some nasty chemicals and include chromium, strontium,
copper!, barium, magnesium and many, many, others. It is the
oxidation of these substances that produce the beautiful colors that
delight the audience.

No one wants to ban commercial fireworks shows for polluting the air
with cancer inducing chemicals. It's a part of our tradition...
Just don't breath the air too much...

Beachcomber

maybe it's time to get back on the meds?


"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
The warning label from my copper" Rainbow Flame Crystals" "Warning
containg Copper Sulfate Avoid contact with eyes or skin , if swallowed
give milk or water and contact Physician. For eyes flush with water get
medical attention. Avoid inhalation of fumes and prolonged exposure"

Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

Burning many products will harm you, CCA treated wood can permanantly
poison you with heavy metal. Copper is a poison, Copper sulfate is
dangerous in powder and likely burnt, as metals will not burn up
completely at low campfire temps, mearly they are airborn.

You are an ass hole camper, camping is to be fun and enjoy the
outdoors, not having people pollute through noise, abuse or pollution.
Whether or not your product afected him he was inteligent to be worried.
So he was happy and drunk and a nice guy, and you ruined his vacation. I
hope you are proud you moron. You are lucky he wasnt a murderer, he
would have had a defence.

"Beachcomber" wrote in message
...


wrote in message
. ..
Is burning copper dangerous?
I am asking because I was camping and tossed some copper dust in the
fire to make the flames colorful. The flames were really nice, but
some drunken guy in the next camp was having a fit about it, saying
that burning copper emits dangerous fumes that when breathed are toxic
and of course, according to him, ALL the smoke was going his
direction. I told the guy to either get lost or to call the police on
us, and they would settle it. (since he was the one that was drunk,
and we were not, I knew that would be fun). Anyhow, I just wanted to
ask and find out if there really is any truth to his claim. (The
idiot packed up and left in the morning, which was great for us,
because we got rid of the moron and had a bigger camp).
.

You bring up an interesting point...

Ever been to a fireworks show? Often you can smell the gunpower (and
the other chemicals that are used in their manufacture when they
explode).

These are some nasty chemicals and include chromium, strontium,
copper!, barium, magnesium and many, many, others. It is the
oxidation of these substances that produce the beautiful colors that
delight the audience.

No one wants to ban commercial fireworks shows for polluting the air
with cancer inducing chemicals. It's a part of our tradition...
Just don't breath the air too much...

Beachcomber




Good point, given the small amount the OP burned, It is likely no more
harmful than burning a toy sparkler from the 4th of July and far less
polluting that a full sized show.

As drunks go, they often overly emphasize even the littlest points and
cannot accept differing points of view. Sounds like his drunken tirade was
the real vacation bummer, I'm sure a "Excuse me would you mind not burning
that stuff, I"m concerned...." would have worked a lot better for both
parties. I hope he left because he was embarassed at his behaviour not at
the fear of copper toxicity.

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
The warning label from my copper" Rainbow Flame Crystals" "Warning
containg Copper Sulfate Avoid contact with eyes or skin , if swallowed
give milk or water and contact Physician. For eyes flush with water get
medical attention. Avoid inhalation of fumes and prolonged exposure"

Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

My container says nothing about the inhalation, just ingestion. It is over
6 years old though.

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 14:32:49 GMT, (Beachcomber)
wrote:
You bring up an interesting point...

Ever been to a fireworks show? Often you can smell the gunpower (and
the other chemicals that are used in their manufacture when they
explode).

These are some nasty chemicals and include chromium, strontium,
copper!, barium, magnesium and many, many, others. It is the
oxidation of these substances that produce the beautiful colors that
delight the audience.

No one wants to ban commercial fireworks shows for polluting the air
with cancer inducing chemicals. It's a part of our tradition...
Just don't breath the air too much...

But that is all there is too breathe.

I thought about breathing a lot before I got there, then holding my
breath until I got home.

It works with food and water.

But I don't think it works with air.

Beachcomber




Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

m Ransley wrote

The warning label from my copper" Rainbow Flame Crystals" "Warning
containg Copper Sulfate Avoid contact with eyes or skin , if swallowed
give milk or water and contact Physician. For eyes flush with water get
medical attention. Avoid inhalation of fumes and prolonged exposure"

Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

Burning many products will harm you, CCA treated wood can permanantly
poison you with heavy metal. Copper is a poison, Copper sulfate is
dangerous in powder and likely burnt, as metals will not burn up
completely at low campfire temps, mearly they are airborn.

You are an ass hole camper, camping is to be fun and enjoy the
outdoors, not having people pollute through noise, abuse or pollution.
Whether or not your product afected him he was inteligent to be worried.
So he was happy and drunk and a nice guy, and you ruined his vacation. I
hope you are proud you moron. You are lucky he wasnt a murderer, he
would have had a defence.


=====================

I agree. We are only hearing one side of the story and it may be
that there were 2 drunks involved in the incident.

Anybody downwind or nearby has the right to inquire when he
observes some moron dumping "chemicals" on a bondfire. I use
the word "moron" because the original poster is asking about the
safety of his act AFTER he has done it. Then he rants about the
other camper.

Copper chloride is one of the most commonly used chemicals for
producing vivid blue colors in pyrotechnics. This is generally regarded
as safe, although it should be pointed out that quantities are often
very small and/or the comps are ignited far from spectators and often
high in the air. Dangers associated with breathing non-trivial amounts
of copper compounds include metal fume fever, nasal ulcers, and
respiratory irritation.

The important point is not the dangers of the copper salts on the fire,
but the attitude of the original poster who feels that he can perform
the act without thinking, and then throw down the gauntlet when
somebody questions his actions.

I am also rather troubled that he threw what he 'assumed'
was copper in the fire. In a fire without a chimney so that
others downwind would breath it. Previous posts have
demonstrated, copper does not burn in colors. Copper
compounds do. But the OP apparently does not know what he was
throwing on the fire. He is only concerned after the fact and
somehow assumes it was copper - that would not burn that way.
I find such actions of naivety to be very troubling -
potentially dangerous.

Gideon wrote:
Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

Burning many products will harm you, CCA treated wood can permanantly
poison you with heavy metal. Copper is a poison, Copper sulfate is
dangerous in powder and likely burnt, as metals will not burn up
completely at low campfire temps, mearly they are airborn.

You are an ass hole camper, camping is to be fun and enjoy the
outdoors, not having people pollute through noise, abuse or pollution.
Whether or not your product afected him he was inteligent to be worried.
So he was happy and drunk and a nice guy, and you ruined his vacation. I
hope you are proud you moron. You are lucky he wasnt a murderer, he
would have had a defence.

=====================

I agree. We are only hearing one side of the story and it may be
that there were 2 drunks involved in the incident.

Anybody downwind or nearby has the right to inquire when he
observes some moron dumping "chemicals" on a bondfire. I use
the word "moron" because the original poster is asking about the
safety of his act AFTER he has done it. Then he rants about the
other camper.

Copper chloride is one of the most commonly used chemicals for
producing vivid blue colors in pyrotechnics. This is generally regarded
as safe, although it should be pointed out that quantities are often
very small and/or the comps are ignited far from spectators and often
high in the air. Dangers associated with breathing non-trivial amounts
of copper compounds include metal fume fever, nasal ulcers, and
respiratory irritation.

The important point is not the dangers of the copper salts on the fire,
but the attitude of the original poster who feels that he can perform
the act without thinking, and then throw down the gauntlet when
somebody questions his actions.

On 18-Oct-2005, wrote:

men have no spare places.

For many - between the ears.

Yes, you are "asking after the fact." You asked "after the fact" if
what you did was safe. Re-read your original post. Your very first
sentence is:
Is burning copper dangerous?

Duh, that sounds like "asking after the fact" to me.

Your example of fake logs is worthless unless you know how
much copper is contained in a fake log compared to how much
copper you tossed on the campfire. Plus, how much copper
are you breathing in your family room when the fireplace has
a proper draft and a well-designed chimney, versus how much
copper is somebody downwind breathing while you are tossing
copper on the campfire?

You screwed up. You acted in ignorance. You were impolite
when challenged about your behavior. You are extremely lucky
that you didn't get punched out.



wrote in message ...
Well, if you take a piece of copper pipe and grind it on your grinder,
it's PURE copper (aside from any abrasive wheel dust that gets in).
What I tossed in the fire was exactly this, except not from copper
pipe, on a grinder, but from copper banding dust from a power hacksaw.
I am not asking "after the fact". I have been stuffing this copper
dust into a pill bottle for years. and always take some with me to
campouts. I get it at work and it is waste. It makes nice looking
flames both at camp, and at home in my fireplace.

Just for the record, you can buy fake logs, which are pretty much
nothing more than sawdust combined with parafin wax, and a little
copper dust to create colorful flames. These are sold at stores all
over the country, such as Walmart.

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:25:06 -0400, w_tom wrote:

I am also rather troubled that he threw what he 'assumed'
was copper in the fire. In a fire without a chimney so that
others downwind would breath it. Previous posts have
demonstrated, copper does not burn in colors. Copper
compounds do. But the OP apparently does not know what he was
throwing on the fire. He is only concerned after the fact and
somehow assumes it was copper - that would not burn that way.
I find such actions of naivety to be very troubling -
potentially dangerous.

Gideon wrote:
Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

Burning many products will harm you, CCA treated wood can permanantly
poison you with heavy metal. Copper is a poison, Copper sulfate is
dangerous in powder and likely burnt, as metals will not burn up
completely at low campfire temps, mearly they are airborn.

You are an ass hole camper, camping is to be fun and enjoy the
outdoors, not having people pollute through noise, abuse or pollution.
Whether or not your product afected him he was inteligent to be worried.
So he was happy and drunk and a nice guy, and you ruined his vacation. I
hope you are proud you moron. You are lucky he wasnt a murderer, he
would have had a defence.

=====================

I agree. We are only hearing one side of the story and it may be
that there were 2 drunks involved in the incident.

Anybody downwind or nearby has the right to inquire when he
observes some moron dumping "chemicals" on a bondfire. I use
the word "moron" because the original poster is asking about the
safety of his act AFTER he has done it. Then he rants about the
other camper.

Copper chloride is one of the most commonly used chemicals for
producing vivid blue colors in pyrotechnics. This is generally regarded
as safe, although it should be pointed out that quantities are often
very small and/or the comps are ignited far from spectators and often
high in the air. Dangers associated with breathing non-trivial amounts
of copper compounds include metal fume fever, nasal ulcers, and
respiratory irritation.

The important point is not the dangers of the copper salts on the fire,
but the attitude of the original poster who feels that he can perform
the act without thinking, and then throw down the gauntlet when
somebody questions his actions.

can you say anal retentive?


"Gideon" wrote in message
. ..
Yes, you are "asking after the fact." You asked "after the fact" if
what you did was safe. Re-read your original post. Your very first
sentence is:
Is burning copper dangerous?

Duh, that sounds like "asking after the fact" to me.

Your example of fake logs is worthless unless you know how
much copper is contained in a fake log compared to how much
copper you tossed on the campfire. Plus, how much copper
are you breathing in your family room when the fireplace has
a proper draft and a well-designed chimney, versus how much
copper is somebody downwind breathing while you are tossing
copper on the campfire?

You screwed up. You acted in ignorance. You were impolite
when challenged about your behavior. You are extremely lucky
that you didn't get punched out.



wrote in message ...
Well, if you take a piece of copper pipe and grind it on your grinder,
it's PURE copper (aside from any abrasive wheel dust that gets in).
What I tossed in the fire was exactly this, except not from copper
pipe, on a grinder, but from copper banding dust from a power hacksaw.
I am not asking "after the fact". I have been stuffing this copper
dust into a pill bottle for years. and always take some with me to
campouts. I get it at work and it is waste. It makes nice looking
flames both at camp, and at home in my fireplace.

Just for the record, you can buy fake logs, which are pretty much
nothing more than sawdust combined with parafin wax, and a little
copper dust to create colorful flames. These are sold at stores all
over the country, such as Walmart.

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:25:06 -0400, w_tom wrote:

I am also rather troubled that he threw what he 'assumed'
was copper in the fire. In a fire without a chimney so that
others downwind would breath it. Previous posts have
demonstrated, copper does not burn in colors. Copper
compounds do. But the OP apparently does not know what he was
throwing on the fire. He is only concerned after the fact and
somehow assumes it was copper - that would not burn that way.
I find such actions of naivety to be very troubling -
potentially dangerous.

Gideon wrote:
Id be ****ed. Id say he was justified, enjoying his vacation , You
ruined it.

Burning many products will harm you, CCA treated wood can permanantly
poison you with heavy metal. Copper is a poison, Copper sulfate is
dangerous in powder and likely burnt, as metals will not burn up
completely at low campfire temps, mearly they are airborn.

You are an ass hole camper, camping is to be fun and enjoy the
outdoors, not having people pollute through noise, abuse or pollution.
Whether or not your product afected him he was inteligent to be worried.
So he was happy and drunk and a nice guy, and you ruined his vacation. I
hope you are proud you moron. You are lucky he wasnt a murderer, he
would have had a defence.

=====================

I agree. We are only hearing one side of the story and it may be
that there were 2 drunks involved in the incident.

Anybody downwind or nearby has the right to inquire when he
observes some moron dumping "chemicals" on a bondfire. I use
the word "moron" because the original poster is asking about the
safety of his act AFTER he has done it. Then he rants about the
other camper.

Copper chloride is one of the most commonly used chemicals for
producing vivid blue colors in pyrotechnics. This is generally regarded
as safe, although it should be pointed out that quantities are often
very small and/or the comps are ignited far from spectators and often
high in the air. Dangers associated with breathing non-trivial amounts
of copper compounds include metal fume fever, nasal ulcers, and
respiratory irritation.

The important point is not the dangers of the copper salts on the fire,
but the attitude of the original poster who feels that he can perform
the act without thinking, and then throw down the gauntlet when
somebody questions his actions.