Re: Brake cleaner & welder death sentence

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2013/3/6 9:16:14

You've given the formula for tetrachloroethylene incorrectly (tetrachloro means FOUR chlorine atoms, so Cl2CCCl2, or (Cl2C)2) but otherwise I tend to agree. Years back in my industrial chemistry lab we had a vapor degreasor running trichloroethylene in close proximity to a carbon arc lamp. It wasn't uncommon to smell traces of phosgene when the carbon arc was running; the room had reasonable ventilation, we tended to keep our distance, and we're all still here 50+ years later. That said, it still is wise to allow time for chlorinated solvent vapors to clear the area beforehand.

The potential for phosgene formation is there with any of the chlorinated solvents, there are many including methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and carbon tetrachloride when in contact with heated sources. That's one reason why carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers which were common in my youth were banned.