Pitch Lake

[YerK]

I would bet that not all of us are open about this kink to friends and family. My wife knows I like playing in the mud, but would not dream of sharing that with me. Moreover, I would like to go play in the tar before I'm entirely too old (arguably already the case) I just wonder if one or more of us tried to set up a trip down to see Pitch Lake, how many would want to go, and among those, how many would suffer the clean-up required in order to go play in the tar?

I'd almost bet cash we couldn't afford the money required to get a model sunk in that stuff!

[Boppinabe]

Isn't tar really toxic?

[nachtjaeger]

Hooboy, that topic used to touch off huge arguments on DS. Yes, tar is toxic. Like any petroleum, it contains all sorts of nasty chemicals. However, most of them are only dangerous in high concentrations, or if ingested, or from prolonged or chronic exposure. ONE sink in a tar pit isn't going to kill you, and if you got the tar off your skin quickly it wouldn't do much more than leave your skin red and raw afterwards; as much from the "taking it off" process as from exposure to the tar itself. Prolonged or chronic exposure, just like with most petroleum based products, will do horrible nasty things to your skin and can even let the toxic chemicals leach into your bloodstream- NOT good at all.

And a brief exposure to the fumes from the tar isn't going to kill you either. Be exposed to those fumes all day, or every day, though, and the toxins can build up in your system and do evil things to you.

Here's a link toa Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for asphalt, in case anybody is curious: http://www.montmech.com/hasp/MISC/MSDS/MSDS%20files%5C12007%20Asphalt.pdf

Isn't tar really toxic?

[YerK]

Hooboy, that topic used to touch off huge arguments on DS. Yes, tar is toxic. Like any petroleum, it contains all sorts of nasty chemicals. However, most of them are only dangerous in high concentrations, or if ingested, or from prolonged or chronic exposure. ONE sink in a tar pit isn't going to kill you, and if you got the tar off your skin quickly it wouldn't do much more than leave your skin red and raw afterwards; as much from the "taking it off" process as from exposure to the tar itself. Prolonged or chronic exposure, just like with most petroleum based products, will do horrible nasty things to your skin and can even let the toxic chemicals leach into your bloodstream- NOT good at all.

And a brief exposure to the fumes from the tar isn't going to kill you either. Be exposed to those fumes all day, or every day, though, and the toxins can build up in your system and do evil things to you.

Here's a link toa Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for asphalt, in case anybody is curious: http://www.montmech.com/hasp/MISC/MSDS/MSDS%20files%5C12007%20Asphalt.pdf

I did not intend to start any arguments. My opinion from reading and limited experience is that a short exposure to tar would not be a big health impact. I am thinking that getting tar off would be a real pain in the ass, though. (and if you don't have handy access to steam, there's a good chance you'll want to toss any tar-soaked clothes)

Another thing I *think* is true, is that not all tar is adhesive. From what I understand, Pitch Lake has some areas where the tar has a high sulfur content, and while it is still thick and you can still sink in it, it doesn't stick to skin, and people regularly sink ankle-deep in it for fun. Other areas has the more stereotypical tar that sticks to everything. (and it varies too, in thickness, so there are areas that seem somewhat solid, while others are more like syrup.

I read a paper on the La Brea pits that said many of the entrapments may have happened when animals were only ankle to knee deep in sticky tar. I should think a guide could lead folks to the right kind of tar for a shallow sink, but my guess is that rescue could be needed for just about anyone going in, because it can be so very different from wading in mud.

[Duncan Edwards]

I'd almost bet cash we couldn't afford the money required to get a model sunk in that stuff!

Short of finding one with a death wish I bet your right.

[Boggy Man]

I'd almost bet cash we couldn't afford the money required to get a model sunk in that stuff!

Short of finding one with a death wish I bet your right.

If a model was willing to sink into tar, it would only be under the conditions that the crew has a way of safely extracting her, and that she be required to dress appropriately:

[YerK]

Ok, while tar is toxic, so is bleach. The bigger problem isn't that tar is toxic, it is that tar is hell to get off, and hard on the skin.

[DangerGirl]

There was a bunch of mammoths, ground sloths, bison, and cave bears who tried this a while back in California (where else?), and it didn't work out so well for them. Things went equally bad for the dire wolves and smilodons who, characteristically foolishly, decided to crash the party.

[jagfiles]

I was talking to a RN quite some time ago and she was saying that whenever they'd get someone in the ER with roofing tar on them, the staff found that if they use WD-40 that'd work perfectly to get the tar off. Offhand I didn't ask how they discovered this.

[Fred588]

I was talking to a RN quite some time ago and she was saying that whenever they'd get someone in the ER with roofing tar on them, the staff found that if they use WD-40 that'd work perfectly to get the tar off. Offhand I didn't ask how they discovered this.

They took chemistry.