Just an Epic Rant by John Cadogan. It seems that BS does not sit well with him ;-0
See there’s this Government Money Hole in Australia called {Q or Huge?} Janus Electric that makes “EV Truck Conversions” to turn reliable, efficient, long lived and safe Diesel Trucks into rolling toxic eBombs. (I wonder if J-Anus knows their name means two-faced?) And a couple of them have decided to burst into flames in a cloud of toxic gasses (permanently disabling 2 fire fighters via Cobalt Poisoning – that I doubt most folks realize is “a thing”… as BTW is Nickle Poisoning that I learned about in Welding class…)
Cobalt is necessary for health (B12 needs it) but like all things, the poison is in the dose. Too much and you get very sick.
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/poison/cobalt-poisoning
The most worrisome form of cobalt poisoning occurs when you breathe it into your lungs. This usually will only happen in industrial settings where large amounts of drilling, polishing, or other processes release fine particles containing cobalt into the air. Breathing in this cobalt dust can lead to chronic lung problems. If you breathe in this substance for long periods, you will likely develop breathing problems that are similar to asthma or pulmonary fibrosis, such as shortness of breath and decreased exercise tolerance.
So, worst is in, say, cobalt vapor from an EV Fire vaporizing pounds of it for you to breath? OK, got it. IMMEDIATELY get up-wind of any EV Fire and “run away”…
I also suspect they will need to update their web site to address the EV Source as well as address the RAPID absorption of a lot of Cobalt via EV Fire vapors… but for now:
absorbing a large amount of cobalt over longer periods of time can lead to serious health problems, such as:
Cardiomyopathy (a problem where your heart becomes big and floppy and has problems pumping blood)
Deafness
Nerve problems
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Thickening of the blood
Thyroid problems
Vision problems
So other than screwing up your heart, nerves, making you deaf, screwing up your vision, and spending your days in bed due to exercise problems… I guess it’s not as bad as terminal cancer…
Where Found
Cobalt is a component of vitamin B12, an essential vitamin.Cobalt is also found in:
Alloys
Batteries
Chemistry/crystal sets
Drill bits, saw blades, and other machine tools
Dyes and pigments (cobalt blue)
Magnets
Some metal-on-metal hip implants
Tires
Cobalt was once used as a stabilizer in beer foam. It caused a condition called “beer-drinker’s heart,” which resulted in heart muscle weakness.This list may not be all inclusive.
I think they will need to add “EV Fire Smoke & Vapors” to that list.
So, with that, on to the Epic Rant! Send children from the room and have the wife properly informed of the content prior to hitting the play button:
The “Moral Of The Story” is to NEVER let “suits” (i.e. Lawyers, Politicians & MBA managers) make Engineering decisions. Their training, skill sets, and attitudes are antagonistic to those needed for proper Engineering. ASK the Engineers about what you want to do, then LISTEN to what they say, especially about risks, difficulties, and costs.
Musings from the Chiefio 