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Potassium permanganata
Yes, a sensible degree of caution is always a good idea. But, mixing bleach
and toilet bowl cleaner will kill you if you can't get away from the pure
chlorine gas that is produced.
I would give you the caution statement for DiHydrogen Oxide, but I fear that
might be interpreted as disparaging your giving us the MSDS for Potassium
Permanganate, and I certainly do not wish to do that.
In the small quantities you are likely to be using in an aquarium, it is
unlikely that you will need either the mask or the gloves, BUT - - - - - -
The MSDS is written for darned fools, remembering that anything that is
foolproof will attract a bigger fool than the proof. If you get even a tiny
amount of dry potassium permanganate in your eyes, you will certainly regret
it. And, if you get it on your skin, you will at least get purple fingers or
purple spots on your skin. And, if it should get into a cut, or in your
mouth, OUCH!!!!!
And, there is a big difference between a four ounce bottle and a hundred
gallon drum. BUT - again, a sensible degree of caution is advisable with ALL
of the various things we use in our aquariums, and I definitely include
fertilizers, CO2, and the ingredients for PMDD! If you really want to get
scary, get the standards for handling and dispensing the common "remedies"
for fish diseases that you can get in your local fish store. We generally
are pretty lax in our precautions, and generally we get away with it. But
not always. (My son is an Analytical Chemist in Quality Control for a
company that manufactures zillions of Animal Pharmaceuticals. They do BLOOD
tests on all of the chemists every three months to be sure they have not
accidentally come into contact with the stuff they are testing! He says the
USDA training they get could scare anybody! USDA DOES regulate production
and distribution of Animal Pharmaceuticals, just like Human ones. No
difference in standards at all. Which makes one wonder how the folks who
package FISH remedies get away with it!)
Jean
PS - ALWAYS ground the water in your aquariums, and have a GFCI working for
ALL things near or on or under the tank that are powered by electricity from
the power line! (IOW, if you plug it in, be sure it is plugged into a GFCI
protected circuit) And, TEST your GFCIs on a monthly basis. I have been
zapped, and it was enough current to "freeze me on" the device, and only
gravity (I fell away from it, breaking the circuit) saved me from
electrocution. See? I get reeeeeely cautious about some things, just not
all things.
Next time I will tell you about the Cholla, the "cactus that jumps at you."
:-)