We usually contact with lots of chemicals compounds in our daily to daily basis, such as ascorbic acid that we can find in tomato, orange, and vegetables, carbonic acid that we can find on our daily consume, which is soft drink, etc. So, actually, chemicals compounds are close enough with our life, but there are some compounds that we aren’t allowed to be too close with it, and perhaps unfamiliar as well. Those are called as hazardous chemicals. It’s mainly because they’re corrosive, explosive, bad for our health, and maybe even killing us. So, in this material we are going to discuss it about International List of Banned Chemicals
First of all, what is chemicals compound? Chemicals compound is a combine of two or more elements. It can be gases, liquid or solid form. Each compound has its own unique characteristic, and when it’s combine their character will not be the same as its formers, for example 2 atoms of Hydrogen combin with an atom of oxygen it will form H20, which is known as water that we drink almost everyday.
Long story short, compound has some characteristics, such as:
- Compound has its own unique characteristic which is different from its formers,
- Formed from chemical reactions, and
- Compound can’t returned to its formers form.
As what we have already known, there are chemicals materials which are hazardous. Those type of chemicals materials are usually controlled in their usage for safety. For example, in a Chemistry Laboratory like the one we have in our school, there must be a strict rules for us, student, whenever we’re going to do an experiment. In the drugstore, some drugs have terms like, maybe we have to bring the doctor’s prescription to buy them.
The same thing goes for country, one of them are UAE (United Arab Emirates). UAE have a very strict rules for drugs or medication. Every travelers or people who tried to enter this state will be deported or imprisoned even if they inadvertently bring anything that contains banned medication and List of Toxic Chemicals Severely Restricted for Import and Export
Mainly, the types of banned materials are narcotics, psychotropics, and controlled medicines. Here are some list of chemicals and hazardous materials banned and restricted in UAE :
- Alfentanyl (C21H32N603)
Alfentanyl is a short-acting opioid, it takes approximately 15 minutes to react. It is restricted because it is mimicking the actions of morphine and even 50-100 stronger, which a bit of alfentanyl can lead to feeling of well-being, euphoria, or even death. Indeed, there are many List of Chemicals on the Periodic Table but Alfentanyl is banned in UAE.
- Amphetamine (C9H13N)
Amphetamine are a groups of drugs that increase the brain activity, amphetamine also classes as stimulant drugs. Overdose from amphetamines can cause heart failure, strokes, induce rapid muscle breakdown, and even death.
- Buprenorphine (C29H41NO4)
Buprenorphine is an opioid medicine, similar to morphine. It targets the brain like opioids usually do. But Buprenorphine is include to partial opioid, which means its maximal effects are less than other full-opioid drugs.
- Codeine (C18H21NO3)
Codeine is an opioid drug. It is usually used for analgesic, antitussive, antidepressant, although it is a pain killer, but if it overdoses, it can leads to double-vision, anxiety suppression, insomnia, etc. That is one of many list of chemicals and hazardous materials banned and restricted in UAE.
- Ketamine (C13H16CINO)
Ketamine widely used for anesthesia, because its effects don’t last long. But lots of people use it for recreational purpose, due to its hallucinogenic, tranquilizing and dissociative effects. Actually, it can also stimulates respiration, due to it, some diseases are effectively cure by inhaling through nose, consumption, or by injection. Some of those diseases are asthma, bronchitis, and anaphylaxis.
- Methadone (C21H27NO)
Methadone is an opioid medication. It has side effects which also similar like other opioids medication, such as dizziness, sleep loss, vomiting, sweating, abnormal heart beats.
- Pentazocine (C19H27NO)
Pentazocine is used to relieve severe pain. It is also may be used as anesthetic. But when its used for a long time, it may become habit-forming, that can leads to mental and psychological disorder like harmful Chemicals in Vapor That May Kill You.
- Pethidine
Pethidine is used to treat pain, particularly during child birth. An overdose of pethidine can leads to depression, shock and even comma. That’s why pethidine should be used carefully on people with breathing difficulties, newborn babies, premature babies, elderly patients, peoples with severe liver disease.
- Remifentanyl (C20H28N2O5)
Remifentanyl is also a short-acting drugs. Due to its short-acting, it is include to a strong drugs,that can put us at risk of addiction, abuse, and misuse. In some cases it can lead to overdose and death. It also can’t combine with other drugs that have been consumed because those drugs can cause a very bad high blood pressure.
- Sufentanyl (C22H30N2O2S)
It’s a very extremely high potency drugs, it is 500 times stronger than morphine, that’s why its oftenly used in pain killing before surgery. The drug itself causes respiratory depression, and other opioid side effects such as heart rhythm irregularity, and many more. To manage overdose, naloxone is the definitive antidote, it can reverse respiratory depression, or maybe even all Sufentanyl’s effect.
Harmful Chemicals in the Environment and those are few examples list of chemicals and hazardous materials banned and restricted in UAE. Besides its hazardous characteristic, the consequences that you can get from taking them to UAE aren’t good at all. So, better be prepared when you’re visiting UAE, or perhaps many other countries that have a specific rules for those chemicals materials. Just as a reminder, do a research on what is banned and leave them all the way before you go abroad.
Not just when you’re going abroad though, you’d better avoid consuming narcotics and psychotropics since they contain dangerous chemicals compounds and might give you a long-term physical, psychological, and social effect. Drugs are the enemies of ambition and hope, and when we fight against drugs we are fighting for the future.