Help me get the plot of my book correct... chemistry experts needed!?

Question

In the plot of a book that I’m currently working on, an evil corporation dump something into a local reservoir, making the water acidic and killing the local wildlife. Is there a nasty, dangerous chemical which is normally a solid/powder which would react in rainwater to produce an acid? In addition, I was thinking of having them dump Tritium Oxide, radioactive ‘heavy’ water which is naturally occurring in small quantities, but used by companies as a tracer in biological studies (and presumably pretty nasty as it’s radioactive!). I’m assuming that since it occurs in water naturally, dumping more of it in would be feasible. Any idea?

Answer 1

First, are you really writing a book? or are you planning an attack?

to make a reservoir acidic enough to effect the local wildlife would require that you lower the pH significantly. Depending on the reservoir, that may require a huge amount of concentrated acid. Not a handful of powder but a truckload of liquid.

Most reservoirs are monitored and if you manage to add that much acid, you would probably generate a cloud of steam. In addition, the local authorities could adjust the pH back up to 8 or 9 where it belongs relatively easily.

As to drinking water for humans, it is always pH adjusted by the local water treatment centers. A shift in incoming pH will make them curious.

As to tritium oxide. Tritium is very radioactive and also very rare. 1 part in 1 x 10^18 parts hydrogen. The government has giant facilities setup to concentrate and store said tritium. Such as the Savanah River site. Call them and ask for some...

As to heavy water, it's actually deuterium. not tritium.

As to tritiated water, well it is used in some medical and biological investigations. That is true. But it is very very dilute. Dumping it in a reservoir would further dilute it.

Answer 2

Bleaching powder is probably what you were thinking. It reacts with water and produces chlorine which if in excess is dangerous. Tritium is produced by radiation of water and D2O in reactors. If you were looking for poisoning, think of Potassium cyanide or Polonium, the stuff with which the Ex-Russian spy was killed recently in England.

Anyway, you could add some deadly bacteria or virus too!