virtues2011
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2013
- Messages
- 2,791
- Reaction score
- -4
Hi everyone I hope you are all well. Having spoken with my wife there appears to be some considerable debate regarding the safe use of Acetone. We must first understand what Acetone is. Acetone is an organic liquid solvent. Nail polish is a hardened organic polymer. When the remover is applied to the polish, the molecules of the solvent will force their way through the polymer molecules, causing the polish to disintegrate. Respecting Acetone is extremely important when practicing and we must understand its characteristics. Acetone is a colourless and extremely flammable solvent and its indigenous attributes renders it volatile!
Handling and administering Acetone should be exercised with care and due diligence not only does it have the potential to combust it carries health risks too. My expert advice to the industry, if you are storing and using Acetone you MUST have in your possession a MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the product. This is a legal requirement as determined by the HSE and local authorities.
The compositional structure of Acetone is comprehensive and things you should be mindful of are the following to minimise risk and consequential tragedy;
Acetone has a self ignition point of 540 degrees Celsius. It has a flash point of (minus -18 degrees Celsius). Acetone disseminates `trailing vapours’ which is incredibly dangerous and has the potential to flash back to the source and ignite, just like aviation fuel, and having a vapour density of 2 this is why it trails! Boiling point of Acetone is circa 45 degrees Celsius. Acetone also has an SG of 0.79 with all densities being measured against water, which is 1, suggests that Acetone will burn on surface water, these are the strict fundamentals of the chemicals composition and helps us to understand how we should respect and control it. We have not covered health risks, but rest assured they are there.
My proven and professional advice is; DO NOT introduce any heat source of any kind, this is a solvent and designed to disintegrate polish pertinent to this particular industry, although widely used throughout industry…its even in diesel. Store this product safely. The HSE requires you to store Acetone in the appropriate steel, lockable enclosure. Ensure you have the appropriate extinguisher to hand. For those of you who have or practice in commercial premises you will be subject to a fire inspection and chemicals such as Acetone MUST be disclosed and supported by the MSDS, in the event of a fire this information is vital.
Geeg..to answer the question regarding commercial insurance implications with regard to exposure you would need to determine the risk and the present levels of exposure, exposure monitoring would determine the existing PPM (parts per million) in the atmosphere and upon findings the HSE would inform you of the safe working limits and duration of exposure that you can subject employees and customers to.
Insurance companies will expect you to have undertaken the appropriate risk assessments when disclosing information to them, they will NOT cut corners but will always seek a route of escape hence why assessments should be watertight. When using Acetone the MSDS categorically states ` avoid heat and any other sources of potential ignition’. In the event of an Acetone fire the insurers and loss adjusters would simply say how was it caused…by introducing heat…you are dead in the. water! It is simply not worth the risk and to compromise the safety of yourself and others would be irresponsible and in the eyes of the law…negligent…due diligence is the answer.
I cannot emphasise enough the dangers and unconscious risks associated with such an aggressive and volatile media. Respect the Acetone for what it is!
You mentioned that three ounces of Acetone was placed in a microwave and ignited in less than two seconds. I am not surprised it was radiated using `radio waves` (electrical heat generating energy) that heats from the core outwards, (inside out) micro waves are scattered and cross in every direction at great speed but only react with moisture, that was a stupid thing to do and I would have fired her and potentially prosecuted her! I have vast experience dealing with potential explosive atmospheres and if I made an error in my judgement…I would go to jail…I know this and accept it as a consequence.
Best regards
Graham R Hodge MIoD
Handling and administering Acetone should be exercised with care and due diligence not only does it have the potential to combust it carries health risks too. My expert advice to the industry, if you are storing and using Acetone you MUST have in your possession a MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the product. This is a legal requirement as determined by the HSE and local authorities.
The compositional structure of Acetone is comprehensive and things you should be mindful of are the following to minimise risk and consequential tragedy;
Acetone has a self ignition point of 540 degrees Celsius. It has a flash point of (minus -18 degrees Celsius). Acetone disseminates `trailing vapours’ which is incredibly dangerous and has the potential to flash back to the source and ignite, just like aviation fuel, and having a vapour density of 2 this is why it trails! Boiling point of Acetone is circa 45 degrees Celsius. Acetone also has an SG of 0.79 with all densities being measured against water, which is 1, suggests that Acetone will burn on surface water, these are the strict fundamentals of the chemicals composition and helps us to understand how we should respect and control it. We have not covered health risks, but rest assured they are there.
My proven and professional advice is; DO NOT introduce any heat source of any kind, this is a solvent and designed to disintegrate polish pertinent to this particular industry, although widely used throughout industry…its even in diesel. Store this product safely. The HSE requires you to store Acetone in the appropriate steel, lockable enclosure. Ensure you have the appropriate extinguisher to hand. For those of you who have or practice in commercial premises you will be subject to a fire inspection and chemicals such as Acetone MUST be disclosed and supported by the MSDS, in the event of a fire this information is vital.
Geeg..to answer the question regarding commercial insurance implications with regard to exposure you would need to determine the risk and the present levels of exposure, exposure monitoring would determine the existing PPM (parts per million) in the atmosphere and upon findings the HSE would inform you of the safe working limits and duration of exposure that you can subject employees and customers to.
Insurance companies will expect you to have undertaken the appropriate risk assessments when disclosing information to them, they will NOT cut corners but will always seek a route of escape hence why assessments should be watertight. When using Acetone the MSDS categorically states ` avoid heat and any other sources of potential ignition’. In the event of an Acetone fire the insurers and loss adjusters would simply say how was it caused…by introducing heat…you are dead in the. water! It is simply not worth the risk and to compromise the safety of yourself and others would be irresponsible and in the eyes of the law…negligent…due diligence is the answer.
I cannot emphasise enough the dangers and unconscious risks associated with such an aggressive and volatile media. Respect the Acetone for what it is!
You mentioned that three ounces of Acetone was placed in a microwave and ignited in less than two seconds. I am not surprised it was radiated using `radio waves` (electrical heat generating energy) that heats from the core outwards, (inside out) micro waves are scattered and cross in every direction at great speed but only react with moisture, that was a stupid thing to do and I would have fired her and potentially prosecuted her! I have vast experience dealing with potential explosive atmospheres and if I made an error in my judgement…I would go to jail…I know this and accept it as a consequence.
Best regards
Graham R Hodge MIoD
Last edited: