3rd Edition

Hazardous Materials Chemistry for Emergency Responders

By Robert Burke Copyright 2013
    553 Pages 498 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    553 Pages 498 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    The third edition of a bestseller, Hazardous Materials Chemistry for Emergency Responders continues to provide the fundamentals of "street chemistry" required by emergency response personnel. Emergency response and hazmat expert Robert Burke takes the basics of chemistry appropriate for response personnel and puts it into understandable terms. The author has retained the style and format that made the previous editions so popular while updating the information to keep the book relevant.

    See What’s in the Third Edition:

    • Expanded section on Ethanol and its hazards to responders
    • Update of NFPA 472 Chemistry requirements
    • Revised section on "hazmat elements" with more hazards and response issues
    • Includes a focus on the importance of the "hazmat elements" of chemical families
    • New incident examples
    • New photographs and graphics

    The chapters are organized by the nine U.S. Department of Transportation's hazard classes. Almost every hazardous material presents more than one hazard; the DOT’s placarding and labeling system only identifies the most severe hazards. Therefore, the book provides additional information about hidden hazards for each hazard class. It discusses individual chemicals, their hazards and their physical and chemical characteristics, both as distinct chemicals and within chemical families.

    The book offers a concise presentation of the topics of most importance to emergency responders on a day-to-day basis. It provides the basic chemistry a responder needs to understand chemical terminology and communicate with others about the chemicals involved in hazardous materials incidents.

    Introduction
    The Basics of Chemistry
    The Atom
    Ionic Bonding
    Covalent Bonding
    Salts
    Non-Metal Compounds
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Chemical Statistics
    Review Questions
    Explosives
    Definitions
    Phases of Explosions
    Types of Explosions
    Components of an Explosion
    Types of Chemical Explosives
    Yield vs. Order
    Divisions 1.1 to 1.3
    Divisions 1.4 to 1.6
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Military Explosives
    Review Questions
    Compressed Gases
    Flammable Gases
    Flammable Range
    Vapor Density
    Hydrocarbon Families
    Hydrocarbon Derivatives
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Non-Flammable Gases
    Hydrocarbon Derivatives
    Incidents
    Poison Gases
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Review Questions
    Flammable Liquids
    Effects of Temperature
    Boiling Point
    Flash Point
    Factors Affecting Boiling Point
    Vapor Density
    Specific Gravity
    Polymerization/Plastics
    Ignition Temperature
    Flammable Range
    Animal/Vegetable Oils
    Fire Extinguishing Agents
    Hydrocarbons
    Hydrocarbon Derivatives
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Review Questions
    Flammable Solids
    Division 4.1 Flammable Solids
    Sublimation/Flash Point Solids
    Incidents
    Combustible Dusts
    Division 4.2 Spontaneously Combustible
    Spontaneous Ignition
    Pyrophoric Solids and Liquids
    Incidents
    Division 4.3 Dangerous When Wet
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Review Questions
    Oxidizers
    Division 5.1 Oxidizers
    Oxysalts
    Peroxide Salts
    Inorganic Acid Oxidizers
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Division 5.2 Organic Peroxides
    Incident
    Review Questions
    Poisons
    Types of Exposure
    Routes of Exposure
    Effects of Exposure
    Etiologic Effects
    Variables of Toxic Effects
    Dose/Response
    Susceptible Target Organs
    Rates of Exposure
    Defense Mechanisms for Toxic Materials
    Toxic Elements
    Toxic Salts
    Hydrocarbons
    Hydrocarbon Derivatives
    Miscellaneous Toxic Materials
    Pesticides
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Military Chemical Warfare Agents
    Incidents
    Review Questions
    Radioactive Materials
    Radioactive Elements and Compounds
    Uranium Compounds
    Radium Compounds
    Cobalt
    Iodine
    Review Questions
    Corrosives
    Inorganic Acids
    Strength and Concentration
    pH
    Organic Acids
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Dilution vs. Neutralization
    Incidents
    Review Questions
    Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials
    Elevated Temperature Materials
    Other Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials
    Top 50 Industrial Chemicals
    Incidents
    Review Questions
    Glossary
    Appendix
    List of Acronyms and Recognized Abbreviations
    Numbers to Remember
    Resource Guide
    Selected Technical References
    IUPAC Rules of Nomenclature
    Answers to Review Questions

    Biography

    Robert A Burke is a Fire Marshal Hazardous Materials Technician at the University of Maryland.

    "The approach and selection of topics is straightforward and logical with chapters building on material in previous sections. The selection of topics is comprehensive. ... Hazardous Materials Chemistry has been the primary textbook for teaching new hazmat crews for almost two decades and this updated new edition will be no exception."
    —Harry J. Elston, Ph.D., CIH, Editor, Journal of Chemical Health & Safety