I work in a hospital setting where we use a boatload of IV nitroglycerin to control blood pressure/ chest pain. As of a couple weeks ago it was announced that there was a nation wide shortage of the drug and to use it sparingly. Today I was thinking, is this IV nitro the same as the nitro that goes bang.
A brief couple of minutes on wiki and it looks as if the medical nitroglycerin is the same stuff as that used in explosives and in turn an ingredient in gunpowder used for reloading.
1. So are the powder shortage and the medical nitro shortage related? Where the major players in both industries are scrounging for the same base chemical?
2. If so could the nitro shortage be related to world powers hoarding all the nitroglycerin for munitions (USA v. Russia)? I only say this due to the coincidental timing of hospital nitro shortage with the Crimea incident.
3. If not is another player buying all the nitroglycerin up to stymie the powder industry with no regards to the medical industry.
4. If none of these are true, then where is the nitroglycerin?
A brief couple of minutes on wiki and it looks as if the medical nitroglycerin is the same stuff as that used in explosives and in turn an ingredient in gunpowder used for reloading.
1. So are the powder shortage and the medical nitro shortage related? Where the major players in both industries are scrounging for the same base chemical?
2. If so could the nitro shortage be related to world powers hoarding all the nitroglycerin for munitions (USA v. Russia)? I only say this due to the coincidental timing of hospital nitro shortage with the Crimea incident.
3. If not is another player buying all the nitroglycerin up to stymie the powder industry with no regards to the medical industry.
4. If none of these are true, then where is the nitroglycerin?
