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Articles Hazard of Smoke from Magnesium Shavings

Hazard of Smoke from Magnesium Shavings

Principal Author / Publisher:Safetyhow Admin
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I've seen in the "It Ain't Easy" episode of the TV series Chicago Fire a fire hazard incident involving the inhalation of one fireman in the series of too much smoke eventually causing him to have the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD.  It's the same culprit for the comedian Dolphy's demise but due to a different cause (heavy smoking, I suppose).
In the case of the Chicago series episode, the fireman inhaled too much (as in SO MUCH!) smoke from the fire and eventually, he could not breathe. Spontaneous ignition from the area produced the irritating smoke (magnesium shavings) which the fireman accidentally inhaled causing severe shortness of breath.  Technically, smoke emitted from magnesium shavings is known to be a serious health hazard if inhaled.
Eventually, the fireman has severe burns in his lungs and the upper respiratory tract.  This is COPD which will eventually lead to a slow deterioration of his lungs and skeletal muscle dysfunction.  It will be almost impossible for him to carry on with being a fireman so he was forced to have a retirement and was placed in a long-term disability.
Setting aside the technical details of this incident, there is an obvious negligence on the part of the fireman as portrayed in this particular episode with regards to safety.  The fireman in the incident and his companion, for that matter, were not wearing any protective head/face equipment while performing their task.  Please see the attached picture clips from the said episode.
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It is clearly written in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for magnesium and magnesium shavings that it is required to use an approved or certified respirator or self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or equivalent for protection from the fire hazard caused by the said metal.  But the story in the TV series did not abide by that safety measure.
Well, obviously, the storyline would be different now if the correct safety and health precautionary measure was adhered to.  That’s television, my dear…. :)

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