What is arsenate of lead

[pmer]

I'm cleaning out one of the sheds today and came across a couple of things that is interesting. One is a bag of Acme Red River potatoe mix that is 9.5% ddt and 56.5% basic copper arsenate (greenish powder).
The other is Acme Arsenate of Lead 98%.

Do I need to do anything special to get rid of this stuff? Looks like they are both for use in the fruit our gardening industry from way back.
"232064 "Total arsenic expressed as metallic not less than 20%"

[Traffer]

I don't know anything about that stuff but I WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THAT STUFF. You are doing the right thing by asking questions. There must me a hazmat poison question telephone number to call for info on stuff like that. Maybe you could find something on the internet.

[dragon813gt]

Here’s some information about it: https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1098.pdf

A search showed a lot of information but this one was the most comprehensive.

[Greg G.]

It is some really bad stuff.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Schultenite#section=Other-Safety-Information

[poppy42]

They are pesticides. Let’s put it this way “ I wouldn’t be sprinkling any of that stuff on my corn flakes if I was you. Or substituting it for baby powder. But you should be OK with some standard precautions. Rubber gloves etc . You can try calling your local agricultural office and ask them what to do with it but unfortunately they’re probably going to tell you to put it in the garbage. There’s usually not many specifications or regulations for a private individual to dispose of old pesticides. The thing is what most of those all the pesticides is they worked quite well it wasn’t a single exposure that was the problem too people and the environment it was the prolonged use. They are actually re-thinking the ban on DDT simply because of how well it killed mosquitoes and And in particular by killing the female Anopheles mosquito. That’s the mosquito that’s responsible for transmitting malaria. Heck you could probably use it as a pesticide! I wouldn’t but you probably could if it even still viable .

[redhawk0]

According the the spec sheet its a known CARCINOGEN in humans. That's enough to keep me from opening the bag.

I'd contact the local authorities and have it disposed of properly. Its not worth taking chances over.

redhawk

[pmer]

Thanks everybody, I called the local AG office and it looks like I can take it to my county Household Hazardous waste facility Monday morning.

[mattw]

According the the spec sheet its a known CARCINOGEN in humans. That's enough to keep me from opening the bag.

I'd contact the local authorities and have it disposed of properly. Its not worth taking chances over.

redhawk

Look at California... isn't everything a known cancer causing agent? I would kill for one of the old gallon bottles of Chlorodane. It was a termites worst enemy. But, ran out about 10 years ago and have not found anything that works as well.

[Omega]

Look at California... isn't everything a known cancer causing agent? I would kill for one of the old gallon bottles of Chlorodane. It was a termites worst enemy. But, ran out about 10 years ago and have not found anything that works as well.

Try Termidor, I used it once a few years ago to kill off an infestation, works great.
https://www.domyown.com/termidor-sc-p-184.html

[redhawk0]

I agree...California took it way too far...but until I find an MSD sheet for my dangerous cell phone case....I'll continue to use it.

Bags of chemicals...that's truly another story.

redhawk

[sparky45]

I suppose you don't open a package of Bacon either. Seems like almost anything is listed as a cancer causer, at least as fed or exposed to animals (in amounts that would boggle the mind).

[john.k]

My old man was a farmer,and he wouldnt be without his shed full of various deadly poisons.....Arsenate of lead is an old favorite for killing termites,as the chemical seems to be attractive to them........break a termite track,put some powder in it.........a month later they are all gone......My old man loved pentachlor phenol.....he saturated the house in the stuff..........overdid it,we had to live in the shed for six months while the fumes evaporated........I.had termites in the house a couple of years ago,they ate a few later pine mouldings and a window frame,they stopped dead at the wood that had been saturated all those years ago....And diquat.....very effective on weeds.....but every couple of years someone drinks the stuff thinking its coke.......then dies a week later amid a giant media circus.

[farmbif]

At least the guys in white suits and gas masks did not show up
Extension agents are great asset no doubt
Back in the day they would have dug a good hole and put the stuff out of its misery

[pmer]

Is this the same arsenic that is found in clip on wheel weights?

[john.k]

Yep,same metal........actually,its quite possible the chemical could be melted into a large quantity of lead and used for bullets..........the big risk with these chemicals is that your land will be declared contaminated,and you will be up for tens of thousands for testing and remediation......this is also a risk with lead.....never bury dross or waste from casting on your land,dispose of it by some removal method...........note that I am not counselling you to break any laws relating to waste disposal.

[labradigger1]

Send it to CA.

[john.k]

Arsenate of lead was the favorite method of old biddies to eliminate unwanted husbands......it would be dissolved in coffee or tea.There is a famous test for arsenic poisoning,where a ring of silver arsenic condenses in the cool part of a glass test tube....I remebr a famous case where a woman poisoned three husbands,and was working on a fourth.....the fourth husband ,although ill with arsenic poisoning,refused to testify against her......."because she was such a good cook"......Its also a powerful preservative,and a corpse poisoned with arsenic is usually in a surprising state of preservation...................the green stain used in pine wood is copper chrome arsenate.....or was until the idiots got it banned.

[Elkins45]

One of my chemistry professors told me that the corpses of arsenic victims often had green bones.

[jsizemore]

Check out post #17 of this thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?121103-Lead-Fumes-let-s-settle-this

Your arsenate of lead may be useful if you were looking to add arsenic to your alloy.

[john.k]

When I was a kid,we used to dust the seed potatoes with arsenate of lead before they were stored for next season planting.So any potato farm would have fair amounts in the soil.The copper compound is branded potato mix,so its use is obvious.

[sw282]

DDT was about the only chemical that was effective against bed bugs. lt got banned and now there's a world wide epidemic of bed bugs... These days virtually no chemical available to kill the little blood suckers:-(

[RogerDat]

If you actually have reason to be concerned about bed bugs there are a few hundred pesticides to choose from that are effective.
https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/pesticides-control-bed-bugs

Bed bugs are an issue due to high mobility of human travelers more than anything else. They are transported in luggage and clothing items to and from motels, hotels, cruise ships, train berths, dorm rooms. Anyplace people sleep that others also access with their gear and sleep. There is an element of less pesticide use too, for instance we no longer travel with pesticides to treat rooms for these pests, when at one time to do so would have been common. Also there can be a tolerance factor. The bed bugs still alive are decedents of those that survived the harsh chemicals. Making them possibly a bit harder to kill with pesticides. I would guess the cost of professional pest treatment might cause some motels and hotels to skimp a bit on treatment allowing them to be a breeding ground for at least awhile.

DDT was and is great stuff. However I can recall when seeing a hawk or other bird of prey was almost unheard of due to DDT poisoning. Since it was banned these birds are back and it is rare that I don't see one on a daily basis. Balance and moderation are important parts of the process, unfortunately those are the elements that most often get tossed aside in favor of all or nothing approaches.

[Eutectic45]

It would not be useful to add arsenic to an alloy. It would decompose at pot temperatures to the metal oxides.

Chilled lead shot is the best(and safest) source of arsenic.