The Widnes Laboratory was a research institute in northern
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, run by
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain.
It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926.
Its headquarters were at M ...
.
History
![Catalyst - ICI General Chemicals Widnes Research Laboratory blue plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Catalyst_-_ICI_General_Chemicals_Widnes_Research_Laboratory_blue_plaque.jpg)
The site opened in 1891 as the Central Laboratory.
On Monday 7 August 1950, an explosion at the site killed one man and injured another.
Discovery of halothane
Work was carried out at Widnes Laboratory from 1951 to 1956 which led to the discovery of
halothane
Halothane, sold under the brand name Fluothane among others, is a general anaesthetic. It can be used to induce or maintain anaesthesia. One of its benefits is that it does not increase the production of saliva, which can be particularly useful i ...
in 1955.
Royal Society
/ref> Halothane gas was the most common anaesthetic for many years.
There had been deaths with halothane and liver damage, and was discontinued from the 1980s. Anaesthetic deployment in hospitals is mostly with intravenous compounds and then isoflurane
Isoflurane, sold under the brand name Forane among others, is a general anesthetic. It can be used to start or maintain anesthesia; however, other medications are often used to start anesthesia rather than isoflurane, due to airway irritation w ...
gas, discovered by Ross Terrell Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...
in the US.
Structure
The site was demolished, and now lies under the A533.
See also
* Winnington Laboratory
The Winnington Laboratory was a former chemical laboratory at Winnington, near Northwich, in Cheshire, England.
History
The Winnington Works were built in 1874.
The laboratory was set up by the ICI Alkali Division of Imperial Chemical Indus ...
, also ICI
References
{{reflist
External links
Imperial War Museum
1891 establishments in England
Chemical industry in the United Kingdom
Chemical research institutes
Imperial Chemical Industries
Research institutes established in 1891
Research institutes in Cheshire
Widnes