According to the label, this barrel contained diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate (MDI), a light yellow-colored solid. It is not soluble in water. It may be toxic by ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption; acute (short-term) inhalation of high concentrations of MDI may cause sensitization and asthma in humans. If in a solution it may or may not burn depending on the nature of the material and/or the solvent. It is used to produce polyurethane foams.
The next picture (probably of the front label) indicates that the content of the barrel is related to polyurethanes, produced by the British chemical company, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). The barrel may be related to the toxic waste deal between the Italian mafia and the Lebanese Forces through its Italian division, Atlas Europol s.p.A. From 1982 till 1987, the chairman of the company was Sir John Harvey-Jones, a British naval commander during World War II and a naval intelligence specialist post-World War II, whose approach to the chemical business was focused on speed, more power into fewer hands, and high profit.
The barrel is rusted and has seashells growing on it, signs that it was submerged in seawater for a certain period of time.
The image was taken by Pierre Malychef in the late 1980s.
