Drunkard's Walk Forums

https://www.sciencealert.com/explosion-a...into-panic



This is how we get to live "The Stand" in real life.

The author of the article tries to reassure people that the explosion is unlikely to have released anything dangerous, but Russia's handling of Chernobyl and the recent explosion at a weapons testing facility that released some radioactive material is giving me some concern.

According to the reports, it was a sanitation inspection room that was damaged/caught on fire. Virus wouldn't be stored in an area like that - they'd be in liquid nitrogen dewars or -80 freezer units (contained and shielded from effects) and stored in separate containment rooms. Also, viruses really don't like heat - it's very rare for any of them to survive above 50-70C for more than a few minutes.

The room was undergoing repairs, so all biohazardous materials should have been out of it and the room extensively cleaned (walls washed with disinfectant, etc) before repair work was to begin.

However, that is with the caveat of if Russia's telling the truth on the event.

RMH

Looking for another old thread, I stumbled across this... turns out it wasn't the pandemic we should have been watching out for after all.