“It’s highly flammable”: The dangerous solvent detected in Epping warehouses
Initial searches of the Epping facilities stockpiled with chemicals have detected acetone among the waste.
The massive stockpile of toxic chemicals uncovered in the city’s north is now under 24-hour security.
Dr Ian Musgrave, Molecular Pharmacologist and toxicologist at the University of Adelaide, told Kate and Craig the acetone is cause for concern.
“Acetone is used in a wide variety of industrial processes,” Dr Musgrave said.
“It depends whether it’s clean or not, if it is it’ll be used in the production of plastics, Styrofoam, cleaning metals because it’s a really good solvent.
“The way it was stored, makes me suspect that it’s not clean.
“The main problem with acetone is of course it’s highly flammable.
“Having large amounts stored in one place without appropriate fire protection, is potentially quite hazardous, more hazardous than the toxic effects of acetone itself.”
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