Nitric Acid

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Flammability Toxicity (3) Tia Body Contact @ Flammability Reactivity (2) Chronic 1 2 3 4 Fire Diamond Min Low Moderate High Extreme ANSI Signal Word Fe Danger! = Corrosive wowewveve Emergency Overview * % % ve Clear to yellow fuming liquid; acrid, suffocating odor. Corrosive. Other Acute Effects: lung damage. Chronic Effects: tooth erosion, bronchitis. Strong oxidizer.

Potential health effects

Target Organs: eyes, skin, respiratory system, teeth

Principle Routes of Exposure

inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, eye contact Acute Effects Inhalation: The vapor is extremely discomforting and corrosive to the upper respiratory tract and lungs and the material presents a hazard from a single acute exposure or from repeated exposures over long periods. Inhalation hazard is increased at higher temperatures. Reactions may occur following a single acute exposure or may only appear after repeated exposures. Copyright © 2006 by Genium Group, Inc. Any commercial use or reproduction without the publisher’s permission is prohibited. Judgments as to the suitability of information herein for the purchaser’ s purposes are necessarily the purchaser’s responsibility. Although reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of such information, Genium Group, Inc. extends no warranties, makes no representations, and assumes no responsibility as to the accuracy or suitability of such information for application to the purchaser’s intended purpose or for consequences of its use. Reactions may not occur on exposure but response may be delayed with symptoms only appearing many hours later. The material may produce respiratory tract irritation which produces an inflammatory response involving the recruitment and activation of many cell types, mainly derived from the vascular system. Unlike most organs the lung can respond to a chemical insult or agent by first trying to remove or neutralize the irritant and then repairing the damage. The repair process, which initially developed to protect mammalian lungs from foreign matter and antigens, may however, cause further damage the lungs when activated by hazardous chemicals. The result is often the impairment of gas exchange, the primary function of the lungs. Inhalation of nitric acid mist or fumes at 2 to 25 ppm over an 8 hour period may cause pulmonary irritation and symptoms of lung damage. Only several minutes of exposure to concentrated atmosphere i.e. 200 ppm may cause severe pulmonary damage and even fatality. Death may be delayed for several days. Exposure to nitric acid fumes (with concurrent inhalation of nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide) may elicit prompt irritation of the upper respiratory tract leading to coughing, gagging, chest pain, dyspnea, cyanosis if concentrations are sufficiently high and duration of exposure sufficiently long, pulmonary edema. Eye: The liquid is extremely corrosive to the eyes and contact may cause rapid tissue destruction and is capable of causing severe damage with loss of sight. The vapor is extremely discomforting to the eyes and is capable of causing pain and severe conjunctivitis. Corneal injury may develop, with possible permanent impairment of vision, if not promptly and adequately treated. The material may produce moderate eye irritation leading to inflammation. Repeated or prolonged exposure to irritants may produce conjunctivitis. Eye contact with concentrated acid may give no pain, whilst diluted solution causes intense pain and both can cause permanent eye damage or blindness. Burns may result in shrinkage of the eyeball, symblepharon (adhesions between tarsal and bulbar conjunctivae), permanent corneal opacification, and visual impairment leading to blindness. Skin: The liquid is extremely corrosive to the skin and contact may cause tissue destruction with severe burns. Bare unprotected skin should not be exposed to this material. The vapor is highly discomforting to the skin. The material may cause skin irritation after prolonged or repeated exposure and may produce a contact dermatitis (nonallergic). This form of dermatitis is often characterized by skin redness (erythema) and swelling (edema) which may progress to vesiculation, scaling and thickening of the epidermis. Histologically there may be intercellular edema of the spongy layer (spongiosis) and intracellular edema of the epidermis. Skin contact causes yellow discoloration of the skin, blisters and scars that may not heal. The skin may be stained bright-yellow or yellowish brown due to the formation of xanthoproteic acid. Dilute solutions may harden the epithelium without producing overt corrosion. Ingestion: Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. The material is extremely corrosive if swallowed and is capable of causing burns to mouth, throat, esophagus, with extreme discomfort, pain and may be fatal. Even a small amount causes severe corrosion of the stomach, burning pain, vomiting and shock, possibly causing non-healing scarring of the gastrointestinal tract and stomach. Death may be delayed 12 hours to 14 days or to several months. Such late fatalities are attributed to a chemical lobular pneumonitis secondary to aspiration. Survivors show stricture of the gastric mucosa and subsequent pernicious anemia. Carcinogenicity: NTP - Not listed; IARC - Not listed; OSHA - Not listed; NIOSH - Not listed; ACGIH - Not listed; EPA - Not listed; MAK - Not listed.

Potential chronic health

Prolonged or repeated overexposure to low concentrations of vapor may cause chronic bronchitis, corrosion of teeth, even chemical pneumonitis.