Chapter 11 Summary and Reflection

     In chapter 11,  Kean talks about how elements can be deceiving, hence the title of the chapter, "How Elements Deceive". As an example of his title, Kean starts by talking about the horrible accident of NASA technicians during a simulation. On March 19, 1981, five technicians were working on a simulation spacecraft at NASA's Cape Canaveral headquarters for a routine system check. Seconds later after going in, all five technicians slumped over. For safety measures, inert nitrogen had been put in any compartment prone to fires because of the pure oxygen they used. Anyone who had to go in those compartments had to either use masks or wait until the nitrogen was pumped out and breathable air was brought back in. On March 19, the five technicians were given the all clear to go in too soon and once they went in, they all collapsed. Once rescue workers got everyone out, only three could be revived. This incident happened after NASA hadn't had a single death in space or not, after the incident of the fire in the Apollo 1 that killed three astronauts. This accident also shined a light on the dangers of nitrogen. This element creepily kills very fast and without any pain. Once inhaled as it's odorless and colorless, nitrogen works very fast to go around the body and shuts down the brain.

     Kean then talks about titanium and its uses. Titanium can be used as implants and was a welcome change to the wooden implants that were once used. Titanium is very useful as an implant as it can attach to bone without any infections and can trick the bone to grow onto the titanium. After titanium, goes into the taste buds and how elements can deceive them. Kean uses beryllium as an example. When ingested, beryllium can be sweet like sugar, but it is very toxic. Kean also mentions that up to one-tenth of the human population has something called acute beryllium disease which is kind of like a peanut allergy. If beryllium is ingested or inhaled in any way, the beryllium will scar the lungs. An example of this disease is Enrico Fermi who experimented so much with beryllium that when he died of pneumonitis at 53 with an oxygen tank, his lungs were completely shredded. Kean ends the chapter with a political note while talking about the importance of iodine in the body. While having many health benefits, India wasn't too keen to Western science even though other countries had added iodine to salt to expose their respective countries with the lifesaving element. Kean also mentions Gandhi's salt march and how people aren't to in tune of iodine because of Gandhi and what he talked about iodine.

     This chapter was very surprising to me as to how easily elements can deceive us. As common knowledge, I knew about the dangers of carbon monoxide, but the dangers of nitrogen were very surprising to me. While I knew about the horrible accident of the Apollo 1, I didn't know about the five technicians who were exposed to nitrogen and that made me very sad, for the technicians could have not died had they worn masks or waited a bit longer to go in. But that sadly shows the effects of life, as no one knows what's going to happen in the next five seconds.