Barium nitrate fighters, such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, during the Battle of Britain. It is also used in the manufacturing process of barium oxide, the vacuum tube industry and for green fire in pyrotechnics. Like all soluble barium compounds, barium nitrate is toxic by ingestion or inhalation. Solutions of sulfate salts such as Epsom salts or sodium sulfate may be given as first aid for barium poisoning, as they precipitate the barium as the insoluble (and non-toxic) barium sulfate. Inhalation may also cause irritation to the respiratory tract. While skin or eye contact is less harmful than ingestion or
Sodium chlorate applications, such as in the production of chlorine dioxide biocides and for pulp and paper bleaching. Historian James Watson of Massey University in New Zealand wrote a widely reported article, "The Significance of Mr. Richard Buckley's Exploding Trousers" about accidents with sodium chlorate when used as a herbicide to control ragwort in the 1930s. This later won him an Ig Nobel Prize in 2005, and was the basis for the May 2006 "Exploding Pants" episode of MythBusters. Sodium chlorate Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaClO. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble