Tanks of Liquid Nitrogen on NYC Curbs= Hazard?

Occupational hazard, especially since I have to know a lot about HazMat and the various containers it is shipped in. That and many semesters of chemistry.

Owweee! I've only been stung by a jelly fish once, in a much more innocuous area. Of course, they do say you should pee on it, and that should be easy.

:oops:

Nitrogen comprises 78% of the earth's atmosphere. It is an inert gas (largely unreactive). It is used in a wide variety of industrial applications because it is one of the safest gasses to work with. It is also used in the production of various kinds of fertilizers, and in larger refrigeration systems.

The tank itself should have a green diamond-shaped label on it, with a graphic of a tank and a number "2" on it. It likely has an additional green label with the word "NITROGEN" in white letters. The tank is designed in such a way as to resist damage and puncture during transport and handling. That particular design (pictured) is one of the safest designs. It can be struck by a vehicle and maintain its integrity, unless something restricts the ability of the container to fall or otherwise absorb the impact (such as tying it down to a fixed and anchored object).

Hazards associated largely involve suffocation or freezing of body tissues. The former requires that the gas be released into a small enough enclosed area with poor or no ventilation, which would displace the oxygen in the air upwards and reduce lower elevation oxygen concentrations as a result. The latter requires direct physical contact with the visible portion of the gas for a specific amount of time, or any contact with liquid nitrogen.

Several years ago, I responded to an accident scene in which a semi-tanker rolled over into the median. It had a full load of liquid nitrogen, and one of the valves had broken in the accident. We needed to get the rig upright and off the roadway, but couldn't because the cargo made it too heavy to lift. Rather than wait a day for it to become light enough, we just opened the remaining release valves. The only result from doing that was the grass in the median grew much faster in the immediate area. We didn't require any special equipment beyond gloves (to protect our hands from contact with the resulting gas).

Now, if this were an oxidizing or flammable gas, or a semi loaded with magnesium powder flipped onto it, broke the valve, and dumped its cargo at the same time right onto the gas stream, yeah, that could be a problem. Beyond that...?

In Minnesota, our hazard is Winter snow and icy roads. Also, close elections. We still don't know if Norm Coleman or Al Franken has won the Senate Seat. As of close of the day Friday, Franken was in the lead by 250 votes. That's unofficial. I predict this will go to court, once the State canvassing board has finished its work.