I bought some .50 and .30 ammo cans at the last fun show and the last couple of days I have been rearranging things and putting stuff in the cans. Starting late last night I began to break out in hives and got even more today. Tonight I am feeling a slight tightness in my chest and feel like crap. The cans are the only different item I have been exposed to this whole time. Do they spray some kind of chemical preservative or something inside the cans? The last thing I need right now is to go into anaphylatic shock.

Aids?

Nah! they just paint them. However, depending where they got the cans, surplus from Somalia etc, they might have been coated inside before they were imported. You know, some third world warlord gonna get even with the "Great Satan". Probably had some biotoxin that lays dormant until it's exposed to air. Open the top and........(Of course I'm pulling your leg)[;D]

If you were around a bunch of people at the fun show, you've probably just contracted a virus or the flu.

Take asprin, drink plenty of water, and rest.

Call me in the morning.

CS smoke grenades that have been
taken to the field
and then stored in an air tight ammo can
may leak enough to cause irritation after
a few months.

One day while cleaning out a storage
area I opened a .50 can that
contained three of these
that had been taken on a training
excersise at Twenty Nine Palms
and were never used.

This released the slightly built
up pressure with a loud pop
as well as some irritant
which no doubt stayed in the can
even after the CS grenades were removed.

Oh,
the capsules which are usually
activated by burning
will have the same effect.

This sounds like a left wing new world order plot to endanger the health and well being of gun toteing card carrying gun owners.....am I being too harsh.....?????

You forgot to tell him, to send a check to you for the medical services rendered.

In all seriousness Imbroglio, you have no idea what could have been stored in those cans. In F-16 units in the Air Force, we use those cans to store gloves and stuff that were used in Hydrazine spills. Hydrazine is a toxic rocket fuel that the F-16 uses for its emergency power unit. If there is a spill or the aircraft uses its EPU in flight, a thorough cleanup occurs and we frequently use those ammo cans until the equipment is disposed of properly.

We deal with some bad ass chemicals in the military and frequently use air tight cans to contain the immediate vapor. When those cans are disposed of, you have no idea where they'll end up, or if they are completely clean of the toxins that were contained in them.

I don't mean to scare you about this but I'm being totally serious. If symptoms continue, email me and I'll tell you how to tell if you've been exposed to hydrazine.

Well so far it is just hives. I have them on my forehead, arms, foot and leg. My chest feels ok today though, but I am still itchy as hell.

Must be an HD (distilled mustard)
blister agent.

Are you alerigic to poison ivy?

I was gonna say that.  That's what it sounds like.

You have been exposed to something either chemical or a nervous reaction most likely allergic. If it persists and or you have shortness of breath you need to get to the ER for some liquid benadryl.


John