0116 Date: August 2000 Revision: March 2009 DOT Number: UN 3077

Right to Know

Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet

Common Name: AMMONIUM SULFITE

Synonyms: Ammonium Hydrogen Sulfite; Diammonium Sulfite CAS Number: 10196-04-0 Chemical Name: Sulfurous Acid, Diammonium Salt RTK Substance Number: 0116 Date: August 2000 Revision: March 2009 DOT Number: UN 3077

Description and Use EMERGENCY RESPONDERS >>>> SEE LAST PAGE Ammonium Sulfite is an odorless, colorless, crystalline (sand- Hazard Summary like) solid. It is used to make other chemiclas, and in Hazard Rating NJDOH NFPA medicines, photography, metal lubricants and permanent wave HEALTH 2 - solutions. FLAMMABILITY 0 - REACTIVITY 0 - POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE DOES NOT BURN

Reasons for Citation Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; f Ammonium Sulfite is on the Right to Know Hazardous 4=severe Substance List because it is cited by DOT and EPA.

f Ammonium Sulfite can affect you when inhaled.

f Contact can irritate the skin and eyes

f Inhaling Ammonium Sulfite can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. f Exposure to Ammonium Sulfite in high concentrations, particularly in susceptible individuals, may cause an asthma- like allergy. SEE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 5.

FIRST AID Workplace Exposure Limits Eye Contact No occupational exposure limits have been established for f Immediately flush with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove contact Ammonium Sulfite. However, it may pose a health risk. lenses, if worn, while rinsing. Always follow safe work practices.

Skin Contact f Quickly remove contaminated clothing. Immediately wash contaminated skin with large amounts of water.

Inhalation f Remove the person from exposure. f Begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions) if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. f Transfer promptly to a medical facility.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300 NJDEP Hotline: 1-877-927-6337 National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802

AMMONIUM SULFITE Page 2 of 6

Determining Your Exposure Other Effects f Exposure to Ammonium Sulfite in high concentrations, f Read the product manufacturer’s Material Safety Data particularly in susceptible individuals, may cause an asthma- Sheet (MSDS) and the label to determine product like allergy. Future exposure can cause asthma attacks with ingredients and important safety and health information shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and/or chest about the product mixture. tightness. f For each individual hazardous ingredient, read the New Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, available on the RTK website Medical (www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb) or in your facility’s RTK Central File or Hazard Communication Standard file. Medical Testing If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the f You have a right to this information under the New Jersey following are recommended: Worker and Community Right to Know Act, the Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Act f Lung function tests. The results may be normal if the person if you are a public worker in New Jersey, and under the is not having an attack at the time of the test. federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) if you Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and are a private worker. present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for f The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most damage already done are not a substitute for controlling employers to label chemicals in the workplace and exposure. requires public employers to provide their employees with information concerning chemical hazards and controls. Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right to this information under the OSHA Access to Employee The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 Exposure and Medical Records Standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). CFR 1910.1200) and the PEOSH Hazard Communication Standard (N.J.A.C. 12:100-7) require employers to provide Mixed Exposures similar information and training to their employees. f Smoking can cause heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory problems. It may worsen This Fact Sheet is a summary of available information respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if regarding the health hazards that may result from exposure. you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other your risk of developing health problems. factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential effects described below.

Health Hazard Information

Acute Health Effects The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Ammonium Sulfite: f Contact can irritate the skin and eyes f Inhaling Ammonium Sulfite can irritate the nose, throat and lungs causing coughing, wheezing and/or shortness of breath.

Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Ammonium Sulfite and can last for months or years:

Cancer Hazard f According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, Ammonium Sulfite has not been tested for its ability to cause cancer in animals.

Reproductive Hazard f According to the information presently available to the New

Jersey Department of Health, Ammonium Sulfite has not

been tested for its ability to affect reproduction.

AMMONIUM SULFITE Page 3 of 6

Workplace Controls and Practices Eye Protection Very toxic chemicals, or those that are reproductive hazards or f Wear eye protection with side shields or goggles. sensitizers, require expert advice on control measures if a less f If additional protection is needed for the entire face, use in toxic chemical cannot be substituted. Control measures combination with a face shield. A face shield should not be include: (1) enclosing chemical processes for severely used without another type of eye protection. irritating and corrosive chemicals, (2) using local exhaust ventilation for chemicals that may be harmful with a single Respiratory Protection exposure, and (3) using general ventilation to control Improper use of respirators is dangerous. Respirators exposures to skin and eye irritants. For further information on should only be used if the employer has implemented a written workplace controls, consult the NIOSH document on Control program that takes into account workplace conditions, Banding at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ctrlbanding/. requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing, and

The following work practices are also recommended: medical exams, as described in the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). f Label process containers. f Provide employees with hazard information and training. f At any detectable concentration, use a NIOSH approved f Monitor airborne chemical concentrations. negative pressure, air-purifying, particulate filter respirator f Use engineering controls if concentrations exceed with an N, R or P95 filter. More protection is provided by a recommended exposure levels. full facepiece respirator than by a half-mask respirator, and f Provide eye wash fountains and emergency showers. even greater protection is provided by a powered-air f Wash or shower if skin comes in contact with a hazardous purifying respirator. material. f Leave the area immediately if (1) while wearing a filter or f Always wash at the end of the workshift. cartridge respirator you can smell, taste, or otherwise detect f Change into clean clothing if clothing becomes Ammonium Sulfite, (2) while wearing particulate filters contaminated. abnormal resistance to breathing is experienced, or (3) eye f Do not take contaminated clothing home. irritation occurs while wearing a full facepiece respirator. f Get special training to wash contaminated clothing. Check to make sure the respirator-to-face seal is still good. f Do not eat, smoke, or drink in areas where chemicals are If it is, replace the filter or cartridge. If the seal is no longer being handled, processed or stored. good, you may need a new respirator. f Wash hands carefully before eating, smoking, drinking, f Consider all potential sources of exposure in your workplace. applying cosmetics or using the toilet. You may need a combination of filters, prefilters or cartridges to protect against different forms of a chemical (such as In addition, the following may be useful or required: vapor and mist) or against a mixture of chemicals. f Where the potential for high exposure exists, use a NIOSH f Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during clean- approved supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece up. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. operated in a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure mode. For increased protection use in combination with an

auxiliary self-contained breathing apparatus operated in a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure mode. Personal Protective Equipment The OSHA Personal Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR 1910.132) requires employers to determine the appropriate Fire Hazards personal protective equipment for each hazard and to train If employees are expected to fight fires, they must be trained employees on how and when to use protective equipment. and equipped as stated in the OSHA Fire Brigades Standard (29 CFR 1910.156).

The following recommendations are only guidelines and may f Extinguish fire using an agent suitable for type of not apply to every situation. surrounding fire. Ammonium Sulfite itself does not burn. f POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE, including Gloves and Clothing Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides. f Avoid skin contact with Ammonium Sulfite. Wear personal f Use water spray to keep fire-exposed containers cool. protective equipment made from material which can not be permeated or degraded by this substance. Safety equipment suppliers and manufacturers can provide recommendations on the most protective glove and clothing

material for your operation. f Safety equipment manufacturers recommend Nitrile and Natural Rubber for gloves, and Tyvek®, or the equivalent, as a protective material for clothing. f All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) should be clean, available each day, and put on before work.

AMMONIUM SULFITE Page 4 of 6

Spills and Emergencies Occupational Health Information If employees are required to clean-up spills, they must be Resources properly trained and equipped. The OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (29 CFR The New Jersey Department of Health offers multiple services 1910.120) may apply. in occupational health. These services include providing informational resources, educational materials, public If Ammonium Sulfite is spilled, take the following steps: presentations, and industrial hygiene and medical investigations and evaluations. f Evacuate personnel and secure and control entrance to the area. f Eliminate all ignition sources. For more information, please contact: f Collect powdered material in the most convenient and safe

manner and place into sealed containers for disposal. f Ventilate and wash area after clean-up is complete. New Jersey Department of Health f DO NOT wash into sewer. Right to Know f It may be necessary to contain and dispose of Ammonium PO Box 368 Sulfite as a HAZARDOUS WASTE. Contact your state Trenton, NJ 08625-0368 Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or your Phone: 609-984-2202 regional office of the federal Environmental Protection Fax: 609-984-7407 Agency (EPA) for specific recommendations. E-mail: [email protected]

Web address: http://www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb

Handling and Storage The Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheets

Prior to working with Ammonium Sulfite you should be trained are not intended to be copied and sold on its proper handling and storage. for commercial purposes. f Ammonium Sulfite reacts with STRONG ACIDS (such as HYDROCHLORIC, SULFURIC and NITRIC) to form toxic Hydrogen Sulfide gas. f Ammonium Sulfite is not compatible with OXIDIZING AGENTS (such as PERCHLORATES, PEROXIDES, PERMANGANATES, CHLORATES, NITRATES, CHLORINE, BROMINE and FLUORINE). f Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, well-ventilated area away from HEAT, WATER, and MOISTURE.

AMMONIUM SULFITE Page 5 of 6

GLOSSARY

3 ACGIH is the American Conference of Governmental Industrial mg/m means milligrams of a chemical in a cubic meter of air. Hygienists. They publish guidelines called Threshold Limit It is a measure of concentration (weight/volume). Values (TLVs) for exposure to workplace chemicals. A mutagen is a substance that causes mutations. A mutation Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) are established is a change in the genetic material in a body cell. Mutations by the EPA. They describe the risk to humans resulting from can lead to birth defects, miscarriages, or cancer. once-in-a lifetime, or rare, exposure to airborne chemicals. NFPA is the National Fire Protection Association. It classifies Boiling point is the temperature at which a substance can substances according to their fire and explosion hazard. change its physical state from a liquid to a gas. NIOSH is the National Institute for Occupational Safety and A carcinogen is a substance that causes cancer. Health. It tests equipment, evaluates and approves respirators, conducts studies of workplace hazards, and The CAS number is unique, identifying number, assigned by proposes standards to OSHA. the Chemical Abstracts Service, to a specific chemical. NTP is the National Toxicology Program which tests chemicals CFR is the Code of Federal Regulations, which are the and reviews evidence for cancer. regulations of the United States government. OSHA is the federal Occupational Safety and Health A combustible substance is a solid, liquid or gas that will burn. Administration, which adopts and enforces health and safety standards. A corrosive substance is a gas, liquid or solid that causes destruction of human skin or severe corrosion of containers. PEOSHA is the New Jersey Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Act, which adopts and enforces health and DEP is the New Jersey Department of Environmental safety standards in public workplaces. Protection. Permeated is the movement of chemicals through protective DOT is the Department of Transportation, the federal agency materials. that regulates the transportation of chemicals. ppm means parts of a substance per million parts of air. It is a EPA is the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal measure of concentration by volume in air. agency responsible for regulating environmental hazards. Protective Action Criteria (PAC) are values established by ERG is the Emergency Response Guidebook. It is a guide for the Department of Energy and are based on AEGLs and emergency responders for transportation emergencies ERPGs. They are used for emergency planning of chemical involving hazardous substances. release events.

Emergency Response Planning Guideline (ERPG) values A reactive substance is a solid, liquid or gas that releases provide estimates of concentration ranges where one energy under certain conditions. reasonably might anticipate observing adverse effects. STEL is a Short Term Exposure Limit which is usually a 15- A fetus is an unborn human or animal. minute exposure that should not be exceeded at any time during a work day. A flammable substance is a solid, liquid, vapor or gas that will ignite easily and burn rapidly. A teratogen is a substance that causes birth defects by damaging the fetus. The flash point is the temperature at which a liquid or solid gives off vapor that can form a flammable mixture with air. UEL or Upper Explosive Limit is the highest concentration in air above which there is too much fuel (gas or vapor) to begin a IARC is the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a reaction or explosion. scientific group. Vapor Density is the ratio of the weight of a given volume of Ionization Potential is the amount of energy needed to one gas to the weight of another (usually Hydrogen), at the remove an electron from an atom or molecule. It is measured same temperature and pressure. in electron volts. The vapor pressure is a force exerted by the vapor in IRIS is the Integrated Risk Information System database on equilibrium with the solid or liquid phase of the same human health effects that may result from exposure to various substance. The higher the vapor pressure the higher chemicals, maintained by federal EPA. concentration of the substance in air.

LEL or Lower Explosive Limit, is the lowest concentration of a combustible substance (gas or vapor) in the air capable of continuing an explosion.

Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet

Common Name: AMMONIUM SULFITE Synonyms: Ammonium Hydrogen Sulfite; Diamonium Sulfite CAS No: 10196-04-0 Molecular Formula: (NH4)2SO3 RTK Substance No: 0116 Description: Odorless, colorless, crystalline solid

HAZARD DATA Hazard Rating Firefighting Reactivity 2 - Health Extinguish fire using an agent suitable for type of Ammonium Sulfite reacts with STRONG ACIDS (such surrounding fire. Ammonium Sulfite itself does as HYDROCHLORIC, SULFURIC and NITRIC) to form 0 - Fire not burn. toxic Hydrogen Sulfide gas. 0 - Reactivity POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE, Ammonium Sulfite is not compatible with OXIDIZING including Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides. AGENTS (such as PERCHLORATES, PEROXIDES, DOT#: UN 3077 Use water spray to keep fire-exposed containers PERMANGANATES, CHLORATES, NITRATES, ERG Guide #: 171 cool. CHLORINE, BROMINE and FLUORINE). Hazard Class: 9 Protect from WATER and MOISTURE. (Environmentally Hazardous Substance)

SPILL/LEAKS PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Isolation Distance: Odor Threshold: Odorless Spills: 25 meters (75 feet) Flash Point: Nonflammable Fire: 800 meters (1/2 mile) Specific Gravity: 1.41 (water = 1) Collect powdered material in the most convenient Water Solubility: Soluble and safe manner and place into sealed containers Boiling Point: 302oF (150oC) (Sublimes) for disposal. o o o o Melting Point: 140 to 158 F (60 to 70 C) (Decomposes) DO NOT wash into sewer. Molecular Weight: 116.14 Ammonium Sulfite is dangerous to aquatic life in high concentrations.

EXPOSURE LIMITS PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

The Protective Action Criteria values are: Gloves: Nitrile and Natural Rubber 3 PAC-1 = 10 mg/m Coveralls: Tyvek® PAC-2 = 10 mg/m3 Respirator: >10 mg/m3 - SCBA PAC-3 = 10 mg/m3

HEALTH EFFECTS FIRST AID AND DECONTAMINATION Eyes: Irritation Remove the person from exposure. Skin: Irritation Flush eyes with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove Inhalation: Nose, throat and lung irritation with contact lenses if worn. coughing, wheezing and shortness of Quickly remove contaminated clothing and wash contaminated skin with breath large amounts of water.

Begin artificial respiration if breathing has stopped and CPR if necessary. Transfer promptly to a medical facility.

March 2009