Newbie need help in Equipment check for fungus

[d-popotamus]

You sure you and your family are not inhaling any of this when you are heating it?

Yup. Its done in industrial ovens anyway. The frying pan one was just mild heating. You need to heat way over 500 degrees to melt cobalt chloride. You need to heat over 1000 degrees to melt sillica FIRST, to liberate the CoCl2 inside. Oven temp, if i dun recall wrongly was 170 degrees C.

 

[wcljack]

thanks for all the opinion......

 

[night86mare]

Hi,

I have just purchased a new Dry Cabinet.
Currently, I have a G11, a compact camera and a couple of underwater housings and an underwater strobes.
Was thinking of putting them all into the dry cabinet after I purchase my new DSLR camera.
I have heard that fungus can spread from equipments that it has infested to the new equipment.

I am not sure how to check for fungus growth on my G11, compact camera & strobes.
Can someone advise?

And will putting the old and new equipments together introduce fungus growth to my new camera?

Appreciate if someone can provide some advise.

Regards,

Anthony

you need a bright torch, and then shine it into the lens.

either that, or you can stop down and see if you have funny looking things spreading all over your pictures. compact cameras are usually RELATIVELY well sealed, so dust is a more rare occurence... so whatever is there is usually an anomaly.

 

[hotwork77]

Yes correct. My apologies, I forgot to mention. Yes, NEVER use the same heating source as the one for food. I use my friend's workshop's industrial oven. Additionally, I use vinyl gloves when handling them. I screwed my mum's flying pan heating them before and got into serious trouble because it was a new frying pan that cost a couple of hundred.



The website that you have quoted is unreliable. Generally, Cobalt chloride (CoCl2) is safe if not inhaled. According to the website, it says "Cobalt Chloride has been classified by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in Group 2B. Which states Cobalt Chloride is possibly carcinogenic to humans."

Note that the claim is FAR overstated, looking from a scientific perspective (probably trying to promote the alternative products). Ramafi GJ, et al (2004), and several other journal publications have shown that while cobalt compounds, especially its hydrated dichloride have been known to cause cancer in animal tests, human results are inconclusive. From what I know, it has only been classified as such because of the cell physiological relationships and the link to humans is highly postuated (but unproven). Inhalation has been advised against. Then again, who is going to inhale sillica gel purposefully? LOL! In order to obtain the carcinogenic effect, you probably need to inhale over 1800g of sillica gel given that the CoCl2 content in the gel is relatively low - CoCl2 is added only to INDICATE the presence of water (as seen from via colour change from hydrated to anydrous form) not as a key ingredient.

In Singapore, if i'm not mistaken, the CoCl2 concentration must be below 130 ppm or so (cant quite recall the figure), EVEN in the sillica gel. This is so that even if babies ingest them, they are still relatively safe.

But yes, prolonged exposure may not be such a great idea (hence dry cabinets ). Hmm... Maybe I should buy more sillica gel than reheating them XP.

I just grabbed first link from my google search.

But IARC did classify it as carcinogenic.

you can rationalize all you want. but it is your health, and your risk.

I just have to put the warning out there out there since you gave advice without specifically saying to not share blue/pink silica gel heating/baking equipment with food.

Personally I find dry cab cheaper in a long run, easier to handle and much more organized than boxes with silica gels. And it is safe..

You are free to take risks with your own life. But when giving advice to newbies who do not know better, it is also the responsible thing to do to also state the risks involved if there are any.

Since both you mention this in the forum. I feel compelled to state the risk as mentioned here: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/c4928.htm

Cobalt Blue used in Silica Gel is hazardous and it should not be heated using your household frying pan or microwave oven or baking oven. Use a separate oven and do it outdoors so that whatever fumes emitted will be dispersed and diluted by the wind. If you live in a HDB flat, that is a NO and you SHOULD not do it.

Don't take this risk. Effects are not apparent immediately but the injury like organ failure is real and long lasting and there is no cure. Hope that helps.

 

[Daoyin]

Since both you mention this in the forum. I feel compelled to state the risk as mentioned here: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/c4928.htm

Cobalt Blue used in Silica Gel is hazardous and it should not be heated using your household frying pan or microwave oven or baking oven. Use a separate oven and do it outdoors so that whatever fumes emitted will be dispersed and diluted by the wind. If you live in a HDB flat, that is a NO and you SHOULD not do it.

Don't take this risk. Effects are not apparent immediately but the injury like organ failure is real and long lasting and there is no cure. Hope that helps.

This is good advice. Better to be safe than sorry many years later. And all over the cost of a dry cabinet.

 

[coolthought]

Yup. Its done in industrial ovens anyway. The frying pan one was just mild heating. You need to heat way over 500 degrees to melt cobalt chloride. You need to heat over 1000 degrees to melt sillica FIRST, to liberate the CoCl2 inside. Oven temp, if i dun recall wrongly was 170 degrees C.

do you smell anything when you pan frying the silicas?