Iodine

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Appearance: black-violet solid. Danger! Causes eye and skin burns. Harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. May cause severe respiratory and digestive tract irritation with possible burns. At ordinary temperatures, iodine sublimes to a violet gas with a characteristic, irritating odor. Target Organs: Respiratory system, eyes, thyroid, skin.

Potential health effects

Eye: Causes severe eye irritation. May cause eye burns. Vapor or mist may cause irritation and severe burns. Skin: Harmful if absorbed through the skin. May cause severe irritation and possible burns. Rare instances of allergic reactions to topical iodine solutions characterized by fever and generalized skin eruptions have lead to death. At least one death after topical application of a strong iodine tincture to one-third of the body has been recorded. Ingestion: Harmful if swallowed. May cause gastrointestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. May cause kidney damage. May cause burns to the digestive tract. May cause thyroid abnormalities. Iodine is an easily oxidizable substance. Food that is present in the GI tract will oxidize iodine to iodide which is not corrosive to the GI tract. Inhalation: Harmful if inhaled. Causes severe respiratory tract irritation. Extreme exposures could result in a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) that might be fatal in severe cases. Readily sublimed having a violet vapor (Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary). Inhalation of iodine vapor is intensely irritating to mucous membranes and adversely affects both the upper and lower portions of the pulmonary tract (Doc of TLV). Chronic: Chronic exposure can lead to iodism characterized by headache, excess salivation, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, stomatitis, enlarged submaxillary glands, and skin rashes. Chronic exposure can affect thyroid function. Iodine in very small quantities is critical for proper function of the thyroid. If deficient, can cause goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.