Vallon wrote:Because I have never heard of the use of any cleaning chemicals either, I think they just used water. But they must have cleaned the place, otherwise the next group would have been reluctant to go in. Gerstein mentions how messy a gas chamber was (and Müller says
exactly the same thing).
Citing Mueller is a very poor source, to put it mildly, but let's pretend Mueller wasn't lying through his teeth about having been there and say that he was. In page 135 of his memoir he describes only
superficial cleaning of the alleged gas chambers:
"Meanwhile Moll and his minions, anxious to have the gas chambers cleared and superficially cleaned, harried and hurried the exhausted bearers." Hosing down and mopping up would have diluted and removed HCN that had adsorbed and dissolved in moisture on the walls.
If mere hosing down would have worked then I wonder why American execution gas chambers were not cleaned in such a simple manner after executions. Fred Leuchter explained the manner in which not only the chamber but the body of the executed were cleaned and scrubbed so as to not poison those who would touch the chamber or the body afterward. You can also find similar in OSHA guidelines on HCN surface contaminations.
Touching contaminated bodies would cause contamination of the person touching them and burning the corpses in the near vicinity would undoubtedly resuspend the poison and effect those in the near vicinity. Neither former inmates nor SS men who inmates claim watched 24/7 reported symptoms associated with HCN exposure. Putting bare hands on thousands of bodies per day coated in poisonous residues of a lethal dosage certainly isn't conducive to healthy living and neither is being in the near vicinity of the cremation of these contaminated bodies. This kind of exposure on the part of corpse bearers isn't going to be low-level, either. People like Mueller claimed to have spent substantial time in this environment directly touching thousands of these corpses for several years came out with no symptoms, and this is yet another (on top of already many) reasons we know Mueller is lying.
OSHA has some guidelines on this, to give us an idea:
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelin ... ition.htmlEXPOSURE LIMITS * OSHA PEL
The current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) for hydrogen cyanide is 10 ppm (11 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m(3))) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) concentration. The OSHA PEL also bears a "Skin" notation, which indicates that the cutaneous route of exposure (including mucous membranes and eyes) contributes to overall exposure [29 CFR 1910.1000, Table Z-1].
* NIOSH REL
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established a recommended exposure limit (REL) for hydrogen cyanide of 4.7 ppm (5 mg/m(3)) as a STEL. NIOSH also assigns a "Skin" notation to hydrogen cyanide [NIOSH 1992].
Routes of Exposure
Exposure to hydrogen cyanide can occur through inhalation, ingestion, eye or skin contact, and absorption through the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes [Sittig 1991; Rom 1992].
PERSONAL HYGIENE PROCEDURES If hydrogen cyanide contacts the skin, workers should flush the affected areas immediately with plenty of water, followed by washing with soap and water.
Clothing contaminated with hydrogen cyanide should be removed immediately, and provisions should be made for the safe removal of the chemical from the clothing. Persons laundering the clothes should be informed of the hazardous properties of hydrogen cyanide, particularly its potential for severe systemic toxicity by dermal absorption or inhalation.
A worker who handles hydrogen cyanide should thoroughly wash hands, forearms, and face with soap and water before eating, using tobacco products, using toilet facilities, applying cosmetics, or taking medication.
Workers should not eat, drink, use tobacco products, apply cosmetics, or take medication in areas where hydrogen cyanide or a solution containing hydrogen cyanide is handled, processed, or stored.